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Pasco Rallies Twice For Tie Against Mitchell

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: December 15, 2007

TRINITY - Though Pasco and Mitchell felt differently about how they played Thursday night, the result was familiar.

For the second consecutive year, the Pirates (11-1-1) and Mustangs (11-4-2) played 80 minutes and couldn't determine a winner. The score may have finished 3-3, but one side clearly looked at the result as a positive.

"It was a good, hard-fought match against good, stiff competition," said Pasco coach Barry Grayling.

Mitchell's sideline was far less satisfied, having lost a 2-0 halftime lead and a 3-2 lead with 8:45 remaining on their home field.

"We should have easily won that game," Mitchell coach Oscar Ubillus said. "We missed a bunch of scoring chances. The main thing was we lost focus for a few spurts here and there."

The Mustangs appeared in complete command after goals by Brad Chapman and Nick Orrego, outshooting Pasco at one point in the first half 11-1. But the Pirates got a pair of goals from Cody Sumner, who had three all season before Thursday, including the final score of the game with 4:10 to go from about 20 yards away.

Mitchell was exploiting Pasco's defense in the first half. The Pirates were playing without top defender Ryan Lowery, who was battling the flu. If not for goalkeeper Jacob Pollock's six saves in the first 20 minutes, it could have been a lopsided contest.

Pasco seized momentum midway through the second half on Sumner's first goal, assisted by twin brother Trent Sumner off a corner kick. Three minutes later, the game was tied by Alex Hollander's 17th goal of the season, off an assist from Joe Montelongo.

Mitchell regained the lead in the 72nd minute when David Vasquez went high, deflected a shot off the crossbar and scored, assisted by Jason Leslie, but it was matched by Cody Sumner four minutes later.

In the first half, the Pirates failed to get Montelongo, their top scorer with 28 goals, involved and he was held without a goal for the second game this season. The fact Pasco rallied without Montelongo finding the back of the net was a plus for Grayling.

"You can't always rely on Joe. Big teams know to mark him out," Grayling said. "Cody played well. His first goal lifted our heads a little more and got us on a roll."

Though the circumstances surrounding the tie may have been more pleasing for Pasco than Mitchell, the Mustangs benefited more from the result. They still control their destiny in the conference race, while Pasco (5-1-1 SAC) needs other teams to lose to have a shot at repeating as conference champions.

At 6-0-1, the Mustangs play the only other unbeaten team in the SAC, Land O' Lakes (7-0) on Wednesday, and round out the SAC schedule next month against Hudson and Sunlake.

Bart O'Connell can be reached at boconnell@pop.tampatrib.com.

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