Campo Verde’s battered team withstood Carl Hayden’s attack for as long as it could.

Their Tuesday boys soccer match went to overtime, but that’s when the Carl Hayden Falcons finally got behind their opponent’s back line and college bound goalkeeper. The host Falcons scored a goal in each of the 10 minute overtimes to record an important non-region power point 2-0 victory over Campo Verde.

Campo Verde still managed a double digit shot output despite its injuries and emphasis on protecting its net. The problem was that Carl Hayden kept advancing and shooting (27 shots unofficially).

During a defensive line lapse, captain Edwin Yepiz, Carl Hayden’s leading goal scorer, beat a defender to the ball and then avoided Dixie St. commit goalkeeper Jacob Zimmerman for Carl Hayden’s first goal. That came in the 82nd minute.

The second goal was delivered in the 96th minute when sophomore Santiago Renteria put away a rebound from up close.

“We feel very confident,” Carl Hayden coach Abner Calderon said. “We are progressing. We are growing. This was a very unusual game for us.

“We need to figure out games likes these, because later on or in the playoffs we might find teams that stay back and counter (attack) us.”

Carl Hayden will start its region schedule with a 10-2 record and a lot of momentum heading into the second half of the 5A Conference season.

It defeated a Campo Verde program that has reached the 5A title game in the previous three seasons. The win marked the fifth shutout for Carl Hayden this season.

“We are really close,” said Yepiz about his team. “We’ve been together for so many years.”

Edwin Yepiz

Campo Verde is 5-5-1 after playing one of the state’s toughest pre-region schedules.

Like Carl Hayden, Campo Verde carries a top-flight coach in Andrew Guarneri. Guarneri's team will attempt to get healthy during the second half of the season.

“We’ve got guys that in all honesty should take a week or two off, but we don’t have the time to do that at this time of the year,” Guarneri said. “We’ll see how we can hold up. I’ve got good kids who work hard. If we can stay organized, we give ourselves a chance. That’s all you are looking for.”