The Weed High School soccer team started out looking like the 2007 Cougars but finished  the week with an impressive win and confidence to take on powerhouses, Fall River and Mount Shasta. Weed fell to Redding Christian, 2-4, but pulled off what could be the upset of the year by defeating Tulelake 3-2. 
Zach Schneider, Ruben Ducoing, Jonny Conner, Nicolette Neel, Daniel Dahlquist and Efrain Gonzalez were defensive standouts in both games.
The Cougars had many opportunities to score, but good defense and goal keeping kept the ball out of the net. Many players had free shots at the net but found the ball sailing wide or too high.  
Jose Luquin scored two goals including the game winner. His first came off a reflection of another shot. The goalkeeper was lying on the ground and left his net open for Luquin.
The second came off a free kick in front of the goal.  According to Luquin, he looked around at his teammates and thought about whether he should pass it off or take the shot himself. He decided to take the shot. The kick went high and it looked like it would hit the top bar.
The ball sailed over the goalkeeper’s fingers and began to fall into the net. The score came with a minute left in the game.  The team gathered around him in celebration. 
“It felt so good, like winning the World Cup,” Luquin said after the game. “This is the biggest game of my life.
Tulelake tried desperately to score again but Weed’s tough defense wouldn’t allow it. Roberto Sanchez had some late saves and the combination of Neel, Schneider, Conner, Ducoing, Gonzalez and Dahlquist forced bad shots and block attempts to secure the win for Weed.
“This win makes us feel we have a good chance against Mount Shasta and Fall River,”  Luquin said.   
Tulelake was a team that has dominated Weed over the past few years, beating the Cougars 18-0 in 2006 and 12-1 in 2007.  The team only had one day to prepare, which can be difficult  when facing a team that has been dominant.
This year it wasn’t the same team or players that Tulelake faced in 2007. The defense was the key for Weed.
“We played an entire game and our defense was much better than on Tuesday,” Gilmore said after the game.  “We couldn’t write it any better.” 
Roberto Sanchez allowed fewer goals and stopped some hard shots from the Honkers.  He blocked 20 attempts and allowed only the two goals late in the second half.
Tulelake did have other chances to score, especially on corner kicks. The Honkers had six corners kicks in the game but each one sailed toward the post or too high.
Gilmore said the defense played better in the second half because of the aggressive play by his offense in the first. The was in Tulelake territory most of the first half. Gilmore also wanted to secure his lead going into the second half, a position they have yet to deal with. 
Omar Fernandez, Salvador Avila and Usmaro Sanchez kept the ball away from the opposing offense, shooting six, three and one shot respectively. 
Avila was the first to score for Weed. Zach Schneider tossed the ball in and at first Sanchez tried to head-butt it, but that shot was deflected. On the rebound he found the net, giving Weed a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first half.
Early season mistakes plagued the Cougars against Redding Christian. Passing, conditioning and holding onto the ball too long led to their downfall.
“They exposed and took advantage of our weaknesses,” head coach Mike Gilmore said after the game. “Our passing was off and we couldn’t get back on defense the entire game.”
Even with the loss, the Cougars showed a lot of potential.  The first half was a defensive battle, with Redding Christian scoring the only goal.  Roberto Sanchez blocked 10 shots.   
During the second half, Sanchez blocked eight shots but found himself out of position on two scores. 
The final score came on a break for Redding Christian as Sanchez blocked one shot but was unable to control the ball.  This allowed the opposition to kick the ball into the net.
Efrain Gonzalez also had a block on a shot attempt.   
The Cougar offense started slow, then had eight shots on goal in the second half.
The main offensive weapon for Weed was Omar Sanchez, who had 10 shot attempts and made one of them. His goal came on a free kick early in the second half, tying the game. 
Weed’s other goal came on a corner kick. Lori Sanchez was in position in front of the net and she kicked the ball past the opposing goalkeeper. This put the Cougars up 2-1. 
Following the goal, Redding Christian quickly scored twice and finally a third time.        
Towards the end of the game, Usmaro Sanchez twisted his ankle and was taken off the field. He would return for the game against Tulelake.
“We played well and I’m proud of their efforts,”  Gilmore said.