The Marvin Ridge Mavericks powered past Sun Valley on Monday, earning the win 4-0 in their first game of the season. A strong offensive effort put the Mavericks ahead early with a 1-0 lead that they would continue to expand throughout the game.

The Mavericks seemed poised to score another early goal when a breakaway attempt was stopped by an offside call. Another goal was thwarted as a cross-field pass by senior Grant Sutherland led to a near miss by senior Rory Milford. Sutherland’s efforts were finally rewarded with 23 minutes left in the half as he broke past the Spartan defense to score the second goal of the game.

With the score 2-0, the Spartans appeared to be gaining momentum late in the first half when several Marvin Ridge missed attempts gave them multiple possessions. A last minute tackle, however, by Marvin Ridge senior Daniel Naranjo, followed by several Spartan turnovers, kept Sun Valley scoreless at the half.

Both teams found themselves in scoring position early in the second half, but goal keepers on both sides blocked multiple attempts including a breakaway attempt by Marvin Ridge senior Andres Marcos on the heel of a series of jukes and misdirections that left Sun Valley defenders far behind.

Missed free kicks by both teams saw the score at 2-0 late in the game when a throw-in header by Marvin Ridge senior Patrick Gregson pushed the Mavericks seemingly out of reach. A one-on-one goal in the final minutes by Grant Sutherland secured the game and the final score at 4-0.

Head coach Jason Zak said that, despite their win, his team has more potential than what was shown at Monday’s game. He said that he was impressed with the improvements that Sun Valley has made since last year. Coach Zak said that the coming weeks will see the Mavericks in play against several competitive teams. His focus, however, is already on the playoff season as he hopes to work out systems of play over the coming weeks that will allow for a 6-0 run in the post-season, come November.