Bulldogs Put Headers Together for 2-1 Win

Soccer is known as a sport of feet, but this match was won by a head.

Mike Bradbury headed in a goal with 30 seconds left as Buena High defeated Rio Mesa, 2-1, in a Channel League match Thursday at Rio Mesa.

On an afternoon when all three goals came on heading plays, Bradbury put Buena ahead for good by converting a direct free-kick cross by Robert Drescher.

Heads up.

“I thought the goalie was going to get it,” Bradbury said. “But the ball got over his hand.”

Rio Mesa Coach Brent Kruk had other thoughts on his mind.

“I thought for sure we had a tie and then, boink,” said Kruk, cousin of former major league baseball player John Kruk. “We deserve at least a tie out of that game.”

Instead, Rio Mesa lost by a goal for the fourth consecutive time.

Neither team was at its best.

Rio Mesa (6-4-2, 0-4 in Channel League play) was without its leading scorer, Jaime Ambriz, who was vacationing in Mexico.

And the smallest soccer field in the league didn’t do much for Buena (8-1-1, 3-0-1), which employs a wide-open attack.

But Buena got the best of the first half, snapping off six shots in the first 13 minutes.

The Bulldogs eventually cashed in when Dave Jones headed a pass to Carlos Sanchez during the 35th minute. Sanchez, left uncovered, poked the ball into the upper right corner for a 1-0 lead.

Rio Mesa tied the match at 1-1 during the 63rd minute with Jason Davis using his head to convert a throw-in by Jeff Evans.

It wasn’t enough.

Last season, Rio Mesa finished fourth in the league and upset Burroughs in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Each league loss further distances the Spartans from a repeat playoff appearance, but Kruk remains positive.

“With 10 [league] games left, a lot can happen,” said Kruk, whose Spartans went 4-0-3 in the second half of league play last season. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Buena, a perennial league power, sees the light right now.

“They win when they have to,” Buena Coach Sean Roche said of his players. “And that’s always been a characteristic of championship teams.”