Montesano goalkeeper Max Urbanski came up big in a penalty-kick shootout against Elma on Monday.

Urbanski saved two of the four shots he faced as the Bulldogs earned a 1-0 1A Evergreen League victory on Monday in Monte.

Playing in a consistent drizzle, the two teams battled back-and-forth in the first half, with Elma (2-3-1 overall, 1-2 Evergreen 1A) settling in to gain consistent possession in Monte’s final third of the pitch over the final 10 minutes of the first half.

But the Eagles failed to capitalize on any scoring chances they had as the game remained scoreless entering halftime.

Elma continued to put pressure on Montesano, but Urbanski and the Bulldogs defense continued to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.

“Monte had a good game plan and played very defensive,” Elma head coach Carson Seaberg said. “We had control the whole second half but just didn’t convert.”

Monte (3-4, 3-0) also had its chances to score, mostly on breakout counter-attack. Elma goalkeeper AJ Hernandez was up to task, however, making goal-saving stops at the end of each half to keep the game scoreless.

Elma had a golden opportunity to score a golden goal in the overtime period when Josue Torres sent a cross that found the head of Manny Hernandez, but Hernandez’s shot was off-target and the game went to penalty kicks.

Montesano’s Luis Muro, right, races to the ball against Elma’s Rene Duran during Monday’s game at Jack Rottle Field. Monte earned a 1-0 penalty-kick shootout victory. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

In the shootout, Monte’s leading goal-scorer, Luis Muro, opened with a miss.

Elma’s Aiden Sayers-Hartman put the Eagles on top with a conversion.

Monte’s Veli Ambrocio converted followed by a score from Elma’s Rene Duran.

Montesano’s Yemi Idowu scored to tie the shootout at 2-2 before Urbanski made a save on Josia Jones’ attempt.

Jordan King scored to give Monte a 3-2 lead and was followed by Urbanski’s second-straight save, this time on a penalty shot from Rodrigo Luna.

Monte forward Ben Royer then stepped into the 18-yard box with the game at his foot. The junior sent a low shot that was just out of Hernandez’s reach, giving Monte the 4-2 penalty-kick shootout victory.

Montesano head coach Rick Denholm knows that if his young squad is to play in the postseason, Elma was one of the teams it had to beat.

“We knew the three best teams (in the 1A Evergreen League) going into this season were Forks, Hoquiam and Elma,” he said. “And if we want to be one of those top three playoff teams, we know we have to knock one of them off. Tonight was the first step in that.”

Elma 0 0 — 0

Montesano 0 0 — 0

(Montesano wins on penalty kicks, 4-2)

Aberdeen 4, Centralia 3

Aberdeen midfielder Romeo Sanchez scored a hat trick, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead the Bobcats to a 4-3 victory over Centralia on Monday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Sanchez’s header off a Rigo Alvarez corner kick ended the game in sudden-death overtime in the Bobcats’ 2A Evergreen League opener.

Aberdeen (4-0-1, 1-0 Evergreen 2A) fell behind early after Centralia (1-3-1, 0-1) scored off a corner kick just three minutes into the game.

But the Bobcats responded with a penalty-kick conversion from Alvarez in the 10th minute to tie the game at 1-1.

Sanchez gave Aberdeen the lead when he scored on a header off a Miguel Martinez cross five minutes before halftime.

In the second half, Aberdeen took a two-goal lead when Sanchez blistered a shot from 20-yards out with nine minutes left.

But the Tigers scored just two minutes later and tied the game at 3-3 on a deflected shot that found its way into the back of the net with less than 30 seconds remaining.

But Aberdeen regrouped and came into overtime “firing on all cylinders,” according to Bobcats head coach Larry Fleming, and earned the victory when Sanchez scored his third goal of the game.

“The boys played hard in the face of adversity and showed what can happen when you just keep working and playing hard for each other,” Fleming said. “Our defense was solid and that led to many great chances in transition.”

The Bobcats outshot Centralia, 17-16.

Aberdeen’s junior varsity squad lost 3-0 to Centralia JV on Monday.

Centralia 1 2 0 — 3

Aberdeen 2 1 1 — 4

Top Players: Sanchez (3 G); Alvarez (G); Martinez (A)

Raymond-South Bend 5, Ilwaco 4

The Raymond-South Bend Riptide, a team in the first year of its existence, moved to 3-1 on the season with a 5-4 victory over Ilwaco on Monday in South Bend.

RSB (3-1, 1-1) got out to a 4-1 lead in the first half before Ilwaco (0-3, 0-3) climbed back in the game with a goal just before halftime.

Shortly after the break, two quick Ilwaco goals tied the game at 4-4.

But RSB thwarted Ilwaco’s comeback attempt when Jose Delgado scored his second goal of the game off a cross from Raul Garcia, giving RSB a 5-4 lead late in the game.

The Riptide defense kept Ilwaco from scoring the rest of the way to earn the victory.

Delgado had two assists to go along with his two goals in the game.

Alexis Juarez, Adrian Quintana and Erik Quintana also scored for RSB.

Ilwaco 2 2 — 4

RSB 4 1 — 5

Top Players: Delgado (2 G, 2 A); Adrian Quintana (G, A); Alexis Juarez (G); Erik Quintana (G); Brayan Moreno (A); Raul Garcia (A)

PREP TRACK AND FIELD

Montesano competes at Tiger Invite

Several Montesano Bulldogs track and field athletes had respectable performances at the Tiger Invite on Saturday at Battle Ground High School.

Leading the way for Montesano was thrower Tanner Nicklas, who placed third in the boys shot put with a mark of 46 feet, one inch and fourth in the discus with a toss of 141-11, a personal best.

Sam Winter also had a good day for Monte, placing in the top 10 in both the 110-meter hurdles (16.82, 10th place) and the triple jump (41-07.50, 4th). Winter’s time in the sprint hurdles was a new personal record.

Bryce Whipple also placed in the top 10 in two different events. Whipple took 10th in the 200 meters with a time of 23-94 and placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 19-06.50.

For the Monte girls team, sophomore Alma Muro placed eighth in the 200 with a time of 28.00 followed by a fourth-place finish in the long jump, leaping 15-06.50.

The Bulldogs had two athletes place in the top 10 in the 400-meter race. Jaiden Morrison took fourth with a time of 1:02.67 followed by Madolyn Olson, who took sixth with a time of 1:03.51.

Both Monte’s boys and girls 4×100-meter relay teams finished sixth in the competition that featured competitors from nearly 30 teams.