Region title within grasp after No. 3 Bears blank rival Prescott 5-nil
January 26, 2023 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365
PRESCOTT — Alexis Perez scored twice, Jair Montoya added his 13th goal of the season and the No. 3-ranked Bradshaw Mountain boys soccer team blanked rival Prescott 5-0 on a chilly Wednesday night.
“We’re working a lot on communication. We want to communicate on the field, and that brings the best out of everyone. And today, especially in a rival game, that’s a good game to practice that in,” Bradshaw Mountain head coach Matt Rice said. “They came out with intensity and finished with intensity. I can’t ask much more as a coach.”
It is the eighth straight win for Bradshaw Mountain (11-2-0, 3-0-0 4A Grand Canyon), which hung an 8-1 loss on Prescott back on Dec. 3 in their own Alliance Tournament.
Bradshaw Mountain had lost five straight regular season contests against the Badgers prior to Wednesday, with the last victory coming during the 2016-17 season in a 3-1 win.
“Over the past six years, we haven’t been able to bring that cup home. I’m glad we were finally able to bring that trophy home,” Montoya said. “I told the boys, ‘I’m going to put up a fight until we bring that trophy home, and it may be my last game. So let’s do it.’”
They certainly did.
Temperatures were in the high 30s at Bill Shepard Field before kickoff, but with 14 mph winds gusting around the mountains, it felt more like single digits.
Weather says 39 degrees and sunny at game time. I call poppycock. #AzPreps365 pic.twitter.com/gVJJ3OZGEz
— Brian M. Bergner Jr. (@AzPreps365Brian) January 26, 2023
Despite the frigid weather, Bradshaw Mountain was able to put consistent pressure on the Badgers offensively throughout the match.
Kadyn Maynard began the match’s scoring with a goal from the corner about 20 yards out, making it 1-0 Bears in the 10th minute. Perez scored the first of his two goals in the 16th minute to make it 2-0.
In the second half, Perez added his second goal in the 41st minute, then Montoya made it 4-0 in the 68th minute, his 13th goal of the 2022-23 campaign.
Juan Morales capped off the offensive barrage with a goal in the 75th minute, giving the Bears a 5-0 win.
The Bears have outscored their first three Grand Canyon region opponents 15-2 after wins over Mohave (5-2, Jan. 11) and Mingus (5-0, Jan. 18) prior to Wednesday’s contest.
Alexis Perez (7) gets ready to shoot the ball Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Prescott. Perez scored twice in the 5-0 win over the Badgers, their first regular-season victory over their rival since 2017. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)
NEXT UP
Bradshaw Mountain heads back home to host rival Flagstaff (2-5-4, 0-0-1 4A Grand Canyon) on Friday, Jan. 27. The Eagles have won only one of their last eight matches, with the last two ending in a tie (Lee Williams, 0-0 tie, Jan. 11; Estrella Foothills, 2-2 OT tie, Jan. 13).
Official start time is set for 5 p.m.
Prescott (3-9-0, 0-2-0 4A Grand Canyon) has lost three straight and have been outscored 15-0 during that time period.
The Badgers will travel to Lee Williams (0-6-3, 0-0-1 4A Grand Canyon) on Friday. Official start time is set for 6 p.m.
Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.