After years of waiting, the Greene County Ram soccer program debuted Monday in Grand Junction. The program was approved by the board of education last spring only after parents agreed to fund the larger portion of the program in its first season.
Volunteer coaches Carl Behne and Chad Black led the boys team to a 4-3 overtime win over the Humboldt Wildcats.
Leo Marquez, an international exchange student from Brazil, scored the first Ram goal to give his team a 1-0 lead. The score was tied 1-1 at halftime. Marquez scored early in the second half to put the Rams up 2-1, but with regulation time nearly over, the Wildcats were ahead 3-2.
Junior Gutierrez scored on a penalty kick with one minute left to play to tie the score at 3. Luis Tuesta scored a goal wit 5:22 left to play in the 10-minute overtime and the Rams won their first match.
The girls varsity game preceded the boys game. Volunteer coach Marilyn Tasler’s team lost by a respectable 2-1.
Ram sophomore Nayelli Lopez scored the first goal of the game with 11 minutes to play in the first half. The Wildcats scored with 4:45 to play in the first half and scored again with 29 minutes to play in the second half. The Rams kicked a goal with 15 seconds left to plat, but the Humboldt goalkeeper saved the game for her teammates.
The boys host Carroll High Thursday at 4:30 pm at Karber Field in Grand Junction. The varsity match will be first, followed by a junior varsity match. The girls were scheduled to host Carroll Kuemper Tuesday. That match has been postponed. The Ram varsity and junior varsity girls teams will play Thursday in Gilbert at 5:30 pm.
