EVANSTON — In spite of an energetic start and an early lead, the Red Devil boys’ soccer team lost to Rock Springs 3-1 in a conference match at home on Tuesday, April 24. The boys are now 1-12-1 for the season. 

The Devils hit the field in an aggressive fashion, taking several early shots and forcing Rock Springs’ defense to react. The first 15 minutes of the match saw the Devils and the Tigers sharing possession as the ball moved from one end of the field to the other and the teams matched one another step for step.

EHS forward Pablo Escalante gave the Devils the lead with a dazzling 30-yard kick that blazed past the goalie and into the net at the nearly 20-minute mark. The remainder of the first half saw a continuation of the back-and-forth play and shots on goal by both teams. 

EHS keeper Latham Chandler had a few key saves that held the Tigers scoreless, while the Rock Springs defense also stopped a couple of Evanston attempts to hold the score at 1-0 going into the break. 

Evanston again came out ready to play in the second half, pushing the ball forward offensively. The Devils created multiple scoring opportunities in front of the Tigers’ goal five minutes into the half but were unable to capitalize on those attempts. 

Rock Springs tied the match 10 minutes into the half on a shot from Eduardo Bravo, which was followed quickly by another attempt a couple of minutes later that forced a Chandler save. 

The Tigers largely kept the Devils on their heels for the remainder of the match, although Chandler managed to keep the game even and keep the Devils’ hopes alive with some sliding saves. 

With just more than 10 minutes remaining in the match, Bravo scored for the second time on a free kick from about the 20-yard mark. The Devils tried valiantly to respond, with multiple shots that were just off-frame. 

As the minutes ticked down, it looked as though the Devils were going to hold the Tigers to a 2-1 margin of victory. However, a pair of Rock Springs’ juniors had other ideas. Luswin Trujillo found the back of the net on a pass from Julio Piedra with two seconds remaining in the match. 

EHS boys’ head coach Brian Richins summed it up when he said it was another tough loss for the Devils. 

Richins said he was pleased with many aspects of the Devils’ performance. “I couldn’t ask for better effort,” he said. “The group played super hard.” 

He was also particularly impressed with the level of energy shown by the boys after the half. “We have not come out of half with a lot of energy over the season, and I think we came out with a ton of energy and put a lot of pressure on Rock Springs.” 

Richins described the goal by Escalante as “a thing of beauty,” and said, “Getting a lead in a match was a step in the right direction.” 

Although he feels his team is playing very good soccer, Richins said the boys need to work on keeping up the intensity level throughout the entirety of the match. 

The boys will hope to keep up the intensity and snag a win when they next face Green River on Friday, April 27, at 5 p.m. at Evanston Middle School.