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| Patterson boys soccer team claims WAC title |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 31 October 2008 | |
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“I seriously think that this team has the potential to win sections. We have the work ethic and the talent to win it all.” — Nelson Rangel Patterson High soccer player  Patterson High soccer player Nelson Rangel keeps his eye on the ball during Monday’s game against Hilmar at Patterson Community Stadium. Photo by Marc Aceves “We understood the message,” Patterson’s Gustavo Molina said. “We understood it loud and clear.” That message was: Win, clinch, and get ready for the postseason. Patterson did all of that with a 10-0 triumph, giving the Tigers the Western Athletic Conference championship. “Goal one is complete, but we are not going to be satisfied with just that,” Patterson coach Greg Hartsell said. “Our main goal this season is to get back to that final game and to bring home the section title.” The win came on the heels of Monday’s makeup game with second-place Hilmar. In an extremely physical and chatty game from both sides, three different Tigers scored, and Patterson came out on top, 5-1. Rodrigo Aldana netted three goals against the Yellowjackets. Nelson Rangel and Molina each added one goal, and Michael Laines tallied two assists. “This was a very important win, and we played good as a team,” Molina said. “There is no place on the field that we are weak, and we are right where we need to be.”  Patterson’s Gerardo Cortez moves the ball upfield. Photo by Marc Aceves Aldana knocked in five more goals to power the Tigers past the overmatched Redskins. Aldana’s 50 goals this season are a school record, and the junior is just three shy of besting the section record of 52, according to Patterson assistant coach Alfredo Virgen. “Rodrigo’s been doing this since he was a freshman, and I knew every year that he was going to get better and better,” Hartsell said. “He’s just doing what he does best, and that’s finding the back of the net. “I’m just really happy that he’s playing for us rather than somebody else.” Gustine inadvertently booted the ball into its own net to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. Aldana soon followed with a rifled shot off the hands of the Redskins’ goalie and into the net, upping the score to 2-0. “My focus and my hope is that we can continue to play well this year,” Aldana said. He whiffed on a bicycle kick attempt on the doorstep of Gustine’s goal, but Rolando Rodriguez found himself in the right spot, seizing control of the loose ball and striking a top-shelf goal. The Tigers were later the beneficiary of a penalty kick with less than five minutes to play in the opening half. Goalie Luis Torres took advantage, drilling the ball past his diving Redskins counterpart for a 4-0 lead. Rangel intercepted a sloppy pass seconds later and scored to give the Tigers a 5-0 halftime advantage. Aldana took over the second half, scoring four more goals. Cesar Molina tacked on the Tigers’ final goal of the game with less than two minutes remaining. “Right now we’re healthy, and having our team (at full strength) is a big plus for us,” Hartsell said. “I seriously think that this team has the potential to win sections,” Rangel said. “We have the work ethic and the talent to win it all.” Contact Marc Aceves at 892-6187 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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