Southeast League leaders Silverado, Tech battle to draw

Silverado’s boys soccer team was hoping to make a statement Thursday at Tech in a battle of Southeast League leaders.

After the first half, the Skyhawks had to re-evaluate that statement.

Silverado overcame a first half in which it was outshot 9-5, including a 6-2 shots-on-goal margin, to dominate possession in the second half and earn a 0-0 draw to keep a share of first place in the league.

“In the first half ... our own teammates were getting down on each other,” Silverado forward Chase Leaders said. “Coach told us, 'Don’t get down on each other, keep up your attitude, and keep pounding the goal.’

“Full-on pressure, pressure, pressure. That’s what we kept doing, and it turned into a full 180 on the game.”

The draw ended a three-match winning streak for both teams, pushing Tech to 5-0-3 overall and 3-0-1 in Southeast play. Silverado, which hasn’t played any nonleague matches, is 3-0-1.

“They’re on top this year, so it’s nice to play even this time,” Silverado coach John Cwik said. “It shows where you are in a year.”

With the Roadrunners still having to travel to Silverado at the end of the regular season, Cwik believed his Skyhawks remained in contention for a league title after making the playoffs by one point last year.

“Overall, I can’t be disappointed,” Cwik said. “They kept us within reach of (Tech) in the standings.”

Jesus Herrera nearly put the Roadrunners up in the first half, firing a shot that Silverado goalkeeper Vicente Gomez deflected off the crossbar in the 15th minute. Gomez, who finished with six first-half saves, parried another blast from Herrera to the left to keep the score even in the 25th minute.

But Leaders and Silverado midfielder Devin Diego turned the game around in the second half, accounting for three of the Skyhawks’ four shots and limiting Tech’s offense to five long shots, none of them on goal.

About midway through the second half, Diego pushed the ball to Leaders, who blasted a shot from 20 yards out that skimmed over the top of the goal. Two minutes later, Diego chipped the ball from the left side to Leaders, who headed it inches above the crossbar.

“(Diego) can play the ball to me, or I can lay it off to him; give-and-go is real quick, with that one-two mentality. He knows I have to pace to get me the ball up top,” Leaders said. “Mental decisions like that help keep us aware of what’s going on in the game.”

The game ended with a bit of chippiness as two Tech players and a Silverado player were carded for an altercation involving a group of Silverado fans on the sideline. One of the cards came as a second yellow, forcing the Roadrunners to play the final two minutes with 10 men, but the Skyhawks were forced to settle for a tie.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to tie them, but it would’ve been better if we had got the winning result at their place,” Leaders said. “But when we play them at our place, hopefully we get the result we’re looking for.”