Paso Robles soccer dethrones SLO High with a pair of upset wins

It was a big Friday night for both the Paso Robles High School boys and girls soccer teams in PAC 8 play.

The Bearcats boys team pulled off a surprising upset, traveling to SLO High and shutting out the No. 1-ranked team in the state, 2-0. And about 30 miles up the Grade, the Paso Robles girls soccer team pulled off a big upset of its own, knocking of a highly ranked SLO High girls team with two second-half goals, 2-0.

In the boys matchup, Paso Robles head coach Omar McPherson said senior Javier Solis has been coming up big in tough games, and Friday was no exception. After a scoreless first half, Solis had the first goal for Paso Robles on an assist from junior midfielder Erick Reyes.

Junior Sergio Torres scored the dagger with eight minutes to go to give SLO High its first loss of the season and end the Tigers’ nine-game winning streak.

“We weren’t out to prove anything,” McPherson said about going up against the top-ranked Tigers. “We just wanted to show up and execute the game plan.”

Part of that plan was shutting down SLO High’s dangerous striker — junior Branden Dolezal.

“We didn’t shut him down all the way, but we did enough,” McPherson said.

Senior goalkeeper Victor Rodriguez kept a clean sheet and was “extraordinary,” McPherson said.

“He had some one-on-one saves that kept us in the game. He is an amazing guy,” McPherson said.

In the girls game, SLO High junior Giselle Zatarain scored the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute on an assist from junior Madison Winemam. Junior Elise Scheiffele scored the second goal to put the game away in the 70th minute on an assist from junior Bella Montelongo.

Bearcats senior goalkeeper Alexis Serna-Castillo had a huge game, turning away 12 shots on target from the Tigers to give Paso Robles (7-2-2, 2-0 PAC 8) its fifth win in a row. It was SLO High’s first loss of the season and ended a seven-game winning streak.

The Paso Robles boys team (8-1-5, 2-0 PAC 8) remains one of the top teams in CIF-Southern Section Division 3, and both Bearcats teams will face two more tough games against Pioneer Valley and Arroyo Grande next week.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Paso Robles soccer dethrones SLO High with a pair of upset wins."