MONTAGUE — Montague took almost no time at all to ensure it would reach the first district final in modern program history Monday night, scoring in the first minute of what became a 3-0 win over Orchard View in Monday's semifinal.
With the win, the Wildcats advanced to face Fremont, which beat Whitehall in the other semifinal - and beat the 'Cats earlier this season.
Monday, though, was all Montague (16-5), and largely Trevor Trevino. The senior has dominated the scoring column for the 'Cats all season and provided all three goals Monday, two from over 25 yards away. Noah Raeth assisted Trevino on his second goal, and the third was the result of a teammate's shot deflecting off the post and all the way back to him. Trevino quickly fired off a laser of his own that went in.
"We passed the ball well," Trevino said. "We were aggressive from the start and we really
brought it today. I'm really proud of us. I'm really happy
with this one."
Orchard View nearly answered Trevino's first goal in the 11th minute when a long shot deflected off the post, but that was the last serious threat the Cardinals mounted, as Montague controlled possession. Coach Brandon Mahoney said ball control was a huge focus of the team in preparation for the game and it followed a similarly effective game plan from the Wildcats' first-round win over Grant - and presaged the same strategy for Wednesday's final.
"We did a Sunday practice, team dinner, and
we came out here in the rain for an hour and practiced possession,
possession, possession," Mahoney said. "That's when we're the best, honestly. If we can
possess the ball, then the other team breaks down and we get
opportunities. We're going to do the same thing on Wednesday. We're
going to work
possession, make good choices and finish the goals that we're given."
Trevino's goal-scoring numbers are remarkable, but Mahoney also credited his star with being a good distributor, saying he created several chances that weren't quite finished.
"He's playing either left wing or the center
midfield for us and you saw tonight that he had a couple
of great crosses," Mahoney said. "Nobody finished them, but we were right there. You
look back at the Whitehall match and that's how we won against
Whitehall. They were triple-marking Trevino, he passes inside and Javari
Aldridge finishes. Everybody's a weapon out there. Everybody can score."
The game became increasingly chippy down the stretch as both teams began throwing their weight around - literally. There were several hard collisions and a few cards were issued. Mahoney said the Wildcats are comfortable playing that style of game.
"Our
guys definitely can play physical," Mahoney said. "I liked how they played tonight...I don't love either team getting a lot of cards. A couple cards are OK. That still
sounds like people are playing within themselves and not playing reckless."
The opportunity is there for Montague, which was missing some key players from its roster for the first game against Fremont. The 'Cats will no doubt have a vocal crowd behind them as they take aim at their first-ever district championship.
"I think we're definitely on an uphill (trajectory) right now," Mahoney said. "We really
have come together as a team and had some great possession. I think
Wednesday's going to be amazing."