Eagle Rock Boys Soccer Ties Contreras

Despite his team's uneven performance in a 1-1 tie against Contreras on Monday afternoon, Eagle Rock boys soccer coach Joel Rizo swore that the Eagles could eventually become a dangerous offensive club.

Rizo said a large reason for the Eagles' early season struggles on the offensive end can be chalked up to the absence of playmakers like Joe Cotrina and forward Edgar Menendez, who currently is ineligible.

"He's an excellent player," Rizo said of Menendez. "He's pretty fast and actually can play any position."

But if Monday's game against Contreras is any indication, scoring goals will be akin to pulling teeth for the Eagles until they gain the services of their two strikers. The Eagles spent much of the game warding off Contreras attacks or battling for possession along the midfield as downfield runs were few and far between for Eagle Rock.

And whenever the Eagles succeed in forcing the action on the other end, they rarely managed to get a shot on goal before turning the ball back over to the Cobras.

"I believe that's our weakness," Rizo said of his club's offense. "Our defense is pretty solid. Our midfield, they're working on it."

Throughout the first half the Eagles' offense strategy consisted of sending long passes from the midfield in hope that a forward would beat his man to the ball near the goal. That formula was not successful, and Eagle Rock failed to challenge Contreras' keeper in the first half.

Rizo said part of the reason for the Eagles' offensive deficiencies is the fact that his players are still developing the chemistry required to generate goals.

"Many of the players have never played together, this is basically a brand new team," he said.

But after halftime Eagle Rock made a couple of adjustments and started to show the signs of a competent offense. One of the main things that changed was the play of David Rodriguez.

Rodriguez took control of the match with strong runs down the sideline to wreak havoc on the Contreras defense. Rodriguez's runs opened things up for the Eagle Rock offense and led to multiple corner kicks and throw ins from deep inside Cobras territory.

One of those bursts down the sidelines also led to the lone Eagle Rock goal. Late in the second half Rodriguez took control of the ball near midfield and immediately turned and took off down the left side of the field.

Rodriguez cut inside when he approached the penalty box. Rodriguez proceeded to win a free kick when he was tripped by a Cobra defender.

Sergio Lopez took the free kick and rifled a shot directly at the keeper. The ball bounced off the Contreras goalie's hands, and Eagle Rock's Dylan Banuelos buried the rebound to tie the game at one.

The Eagles withstood a furious attack from the Cobras during the game's final seconds to preserve the tie.

Because of winter break, Eagle Rock won't play again until 2011. The Eagles host Marshall on Jan. 13.