Teams try not to get blown away in wind

Jeff Tully

The Burbank and Glendale high boys’ soccer teams had to struggle

with more than just each other Monday in a nonleague match at

Burbank.

Battling wild winds with gusts of 65 mph, the contest was a study

in frustration, as the Bulldogs and Nitros tried to control the ball,

only to have Mother Nature dictate otherwise.

Amid the bothersome Santa Anas, goals were still scored, as the

teams played to a 1-1 tie.

“It was really bad out there with the winds,” said Burbank forward

Jeff Ruiz, who leads the team with 14 goals. “No matter what you

tried to do with the ball, the winds took it another place. It was

all a matter of luck where the ball went out there.”

The wind affected almost every aspect of the match. Any ball

lifted more than a few feet off the ground usually sailed wildly, or

fluttered in the air and came right back down.

Even the goalkeepers had trouble, as their efforts often landed

out of bounds.

Heading into the contest, Glendale (5-4-2) Coach Edgar Manvelyan

had a definite game plan about how to deal with the wind.

“We knew we had to keep the ball on the ground and try not to get

it in the air as much,” he said. “I think we did that pretty [well].

“I’m happy with the way that we played. Burbank is a good team and

to get a tie is very good.”

It was the second meeting for the teams this season, as the Nitros

defeated the Bulldogs (5-2-3), 1-0, last month in the 11th annual

Ralph Brandt Tournament at Burroughs.

Burbank got things rolling in the first half, as Martin Armas

scored on an assist from Jose Flores to stake the Bulldogs to a 1-0

lead.

Glendale had its share of chances in the first half, however, it

wasn’t until the second half that the Nitros found the back of the

net.

In the 56th minute, Billy Torres made good on a direct free kick

that sailed past Burbank goalkeeper Rigo Maya for the score.

Burbank Coach Michael Bailie said along with battling the wind,

his players also had some rust to shake off.

“We haven’t played in two-and-half weeks,” he said.

“So we were a little slow and our legs were a little tired out

there. I could tell our team was a little off.

“But I am amazed more goals weren’t scored because of the winds.

When you have winds like that, the ball goes all over the place and

you can get a lot of goals.”

The Nitros had a chance to take the lead in the 59th minute on a

play in front of the Burbank goal. Eduardo Forero got the ball to

Neftali Aguilera, who blasted a shot. However, the offering went wide

left.

Burbank had a chance of its own in the 75th minute, but a header

by Eriberto Cosio rattled the left goalpost and banked out and into

Glendale’s possession.

“We have to have our forwards score more because I think they

haven’t scored in something like 10 [matches],” Manvelyan said.

“But our [goalkeeper] is just a freshman, and he played well.”

Glendale’s Abraham Andreasyan stopped five shots. His counterpart

-- Maya -- had six saves.