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Halfway through Thursday night, the Desert Valley League’s last remaining unblemished record appeared to be in jeopardy.
Then, like a flip of a switch, Desert Mirage High School’s men’s soccer team looked poised to win another DVL title.
The Rams scored five goals in the second half with a 5–0 win over Banning to remain undefeated in the league.
Desert Mirage (12-4-1, 8-0 DVL) outscore their league opponents 27-8, but few DVL teams have given the Rams the scare the Broncos did Wednesday.
“We didn’t play well in the first half,” said junior midfielder Jeffrey Vazquez. “We were playing too tight.”
Banning (8-7-2, 3-3) looked confident in Wednesday’s thermals after a 3-2 loss at Desert Mirage on December 6th. The Broncos were early attackers, breaking through the Rams’ defense six times with their shots on goal.
Desert Mirage fortunately entered the second half without a loss.
But that probably didn’t matter. Rams downplayed what might have been said to spark sparks during the break, but it was clear that the sleeping giant had awakened.
“Nothing needs to be said,” said Desert Mirage senior forward Frankie Villarta. I did.”
Villarta opened the scoring just ten minutes into the second half with a powerful shot in a one-on-one match with the goalkeeper. Shortly after, Villarta scored his second after dribbling past his two defenders and creating a chance by faking his shot.
The rout began.
“It let us loose,” Vasquez said. “No more pressure”
Junior forward Carlos Villalta scored the Rams’ third goal into an open net after Banning’s goaltender was out of position to retrieve the ball.
Keeping momentum, Desert Mirage keeps pushing the ball. Vazquez finally found the back of the net after missing his three shots in front and scored his two goals in the final for the Rams.
Desert Mirage has seven games left in the regular season, six of which will be against DVL teams. The Rams went 23-1-1 last season, including a 7-0 league record. Their only loss of the season came against Artesia in the CIF Southern Section semi-final.
The Rams won in 2016 and 2018 and are one of the few high school soccer teams to hold the CIF Championship in the Coachella Valley. Player says he’s not thinking about it right now, but hopes he can win another of his DVL titles. Then start thinking about what you want to achieve.
“I’m thinking about the next game,” said Villarta. “But we have some big goals.”
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley and beyond for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email [email protected].
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