It was a week of firsts for the Tri-City United boys soccer team.
The Section 2A 3rd-seeded Titans earned their first-ever playoff victory with a 6-0 drubbing of 6th-seeded Albert Lea in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs Thursday, Oct. 12.
They then avenged a loss and a tie to 2nd-seeded Southwest Minnesota Christian (SWMC) Saturday, Oct. 14, downing the Eagles 5-4 on a shootout of a 3-3 regular tied game.
The Titans (10-3-1 overall) will face top-seeded Pine Island/Zumbrota/Mazeppa (12-2-2 overall) Thursday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. at Austin Wescott Field for the Section 2A Championship.
In the win over Albert Lea, after a tentative start by both teams in the driving wind and rain, the TCU offense overwhelmed the Tigers with a five goal outburst in a twelve minute span. Junior Rafael Balcazar and 8th grader Angel Ruiz Gomez each scored twice during the stretch and senior Connor Skluzacek added another. Junior Alan Ortiz, senior Ismael Barrientos, Balcazar and Ruiz Gomez each recorded assists.
Tri-City United continued their sharp play throughout the final 60 minutes with a resolute defensive line helping the goaltenders senior Luke Skluzacek and sophomore Nick Mendez record their second consecutive shutout. Balcazar completed a...
To see more on this story pick up the October 19, 2023 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.
Titan boys soccer advances to Section 2A Championship
