Michel scores twice, Saints topple Gators

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on August 19, 2014 1:46 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Peterson Michel wasn't sure what his role was going to be this season.

He started the game on the bench as Southern Wayne opened its season against Spring Creek. Saints head coach Mario Aguilar wanted to see what the Gators were doing before he put Michel on the pitch.

"We wanted to scope things and see how they were playing," Aguilar said. "He watched from the sideline and then we decided where he would go."

Aguilar decided that Michel would play striker, use his speed and physicality to beat the Gators' back line. Michel eventually scored two goals in a 3-1 victory.

"We played well for our first game," midfielder Ulysses Ramirez said. "We got a little lazy at the end and weren't getting touches, but overall we played well."

Michel, who is actually a goalkeeper, scored his first goal on a missile from 25 yards out in the right-hand corner in the 22nd minute. Michel chested a long pass to the ground, turned and shot off the bounce.

"I got the pass and settled it then faked one way and other way, then turned scored," Michel said. "It was a tough goal."

His second goal came after he worked two defenders off of him and kept the ball on his feet while the defenders fell to the ground. He tucked it away clinically in the 36th minute for a 2-0 lead.

Michel had more than his fair share of chances. Defender Obens Tilus found Michel on numerous occasions with long passes from the back line the sailed over the heads the Gators' defense. Michel ran onto several balls and took the goalie one-on-one, but couldn't finish.

Senior Otto Binar tallied the Gators' lone goal on a corner kick in the final minute of the first half. The Saints had some difficulty communicating on set pieces throughout the evening, but never conceded after Binar's strike.

"The communication is important," Tilus said. "Not a lot of people use it, not everybody likes it, but it helps make sure people are where they need to be."

Besides the set pieces, though, the Saints' defense played strong.

Michel's replacement in goal, Daniel Ortiz, made a save in the first two minutes of the game. After that, the hardest Ortiz had to work was when he went to the wrong net to start the second half and had to jog to the other end of the field.

Tilus also stymied the Gators.

"We had a game plan to sort of go at the back line in a way and work around Tilus without him stopping us," Spring Creek coach Linda Salter said. "We didn't execute that game plan.

Ulysses Ramirez scored the final goal in the 52nd minute on a wide open shot from about 30 yards out. Edwin Sanchez got the assist.

"I had it on the sideline and saw the middle of the field was wide open, I saw (Ramirez) coming and just passed it and he had an open shot," Sanchez said.