Clovis North Shuts Out Clovis High, Takes First Place in TRAC

Clovis junior Ronnie Rocha (in black, #4) fights for possession against a physical Clovis North defense. The Broncos would win 1-0 Tuesday January 14, 2020. (Gabe Camarillo/Clovis Roundup)

Clovis North held nothing back in their 1-0 win over Clovis High Tuesday, Dec. 14, playing fast and physical on both sides of the ball en route to sealing the Broncos’ third win in the competitive TRAC boys soccer league.

The latest win didn’t come easy for the Broncos, as Clovis dominated possession for long stretches and threatened to tie the match late.

“It’s frustrating [to not get an equalizer], because we saw some things we needed to do. [The Broncos] back line stayed compact and did their job,” said Clovis head coach Danny Amparano.

Despite superb ball control early in the first half, discipline was the undoing for the Cougars. A Clovis foul just outside the penalty box led to a free kick from Clovis North’s Christian Silva.

Silva seized the opportunity to score, sliding the shot past Clovis goalkeeper Vinny Sabbatinni for the only score of the game in the 20th minute.

“The two teams were neck and neck all game, so scoring on that free kick was important. It put us over the edge,” Silva said.

With the goal, Clovis North went into a defensive gameplan. Physicality was the theme of the Broncos’ play, as defenders pushed Clovis forwards off the ball and disrupted any rhythm the Cougars had.

“We made a great defensive effort to not give them any clear chances at goal,” Clovis North head coach Cameron Shahrokhi said. “We forced them into a lot of long-range shots… defensively, we were nails tonight.”

With the focused North strategy, Clovis made a late comeback attempt but struggled to get shots on target. The Broncos’ defense held on to seal their seventh shutout of the season.

With the win, the Broncos improve to 3-0 in league play and stand alone in first place in the TRAC boys soccer standings. It’s a title they can enjoy for a couple days before they play a talented 11-3-2 Central Grizzlies squad.

Shahrokhi isn’t worried about his team losing focus after their hot start to league play.

“It’s three good wins, but we got seven more,” North head coach Cameron Shahroki said. “We get no games off. We’re back at it Friday.”

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Gabriel Camarillo has written for the Clovis Roundup since August 2019 and follows high school athletics, Fresno State football and former Clovis Unified student-athletes. Gabe also writes for The Collegian as a staff sports writer and works at One Putt Broadcasting as a board op for 940 ESPN radio.