Chaparral squeaks by Silverado

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 | 9:47 a.m.

For the Chaparral boys soccer team, scoring had never been much of a problem. It was their defense that was a bit suspect.

But against a stingy Silverado team that prides itself on defense, it was the defensive prowess of the Cowboys that made the difference.

Chaparral withstood a barrage of shots taken by Silverado to hold on for a 1-0 victory in the 4A Sunrise Region semifinals on a cold and windy Tuesday evening at the Bettye Wilson Sports Complex.

The Cowboys will play Green Valley in the championship game at the Bettye Wilson Sports Complex Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Both teams have qualified for the state championships.

"There's a lot at stake," Chaparral coach Dan Schell said of the upcoming game against the Gators. "This is a (rematch) of last year and we've still got a bad taste in our mouths. Our inexperience hurt us."

Green Valley beat Chaparral 3-2 in sudden death overtime in last year's playoffs.

The 17-0-1 Cowboys scored their only goal of the game when senior Omar Bywaters made a penalty kick in the first half.

"We wanted to keep possession of the ball," Bywaters said. "They've got some really good forwards on their team, like Corey Edden.

"At halftime, we were a little excited because we had the lead. We just had to keep our minds focused the rest of the game."

Chaparral goalkeeper Lloyd Risiglione and Silverado goalkeeper Mike Lawrence each had five saves.

Both teams had numerous chances to score, but were unable to capitalize.

"Unfortunately, that's been a problem all year, putting the ball in the net at the right time," Silverado coach John Cwik said. "We had a bunch of good chances, but you've got to find a way to put them in."

"We knew that if we attacked on the outside, we'd be able to score," Centennial coach Rick Kazee said. "I thought our defense did a great job."

The Bulldogs will play Bishop Gorman at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bettye Wilson Sports Complex in the 4A Sunset Region finals.