Despite the cold weather, senior Jesus Gutierrez was able to catch fire and score two goals, one in the first half of play and the other in the second; helping the Spartans win their opening game of the Canutillo Tournament against the Ysleta Indians, 2-0.

The win also marks the Spartans first official win of the year.

The Spartans dominated on both sides of the field as they were able to maintain a clean sheet as they only gave up two shots on goal the entire game.

The Indians’ offense had a very hard time breaking through the Spartans’ midfield, let alone the back four. This is what allowed the Spartans to maintain an iron grip on the game throughout the entire 90 minutes.

“Our midfield controlled the game, and we performed better here than we did in our scrimmages,” captain center-attacking midfielder Louis Gonzalez said. “I’m proud of myself because I played well today, but as a team we need to work on our finishing. If we keep up performances like today, we expect a lot in the future.”

For a majority of the time the Spartans had possession of the ball, and were feeding it to their Strikers on through balls. Despite multiple off-sides calls against right wing Luis Flores, who also had a blocked shot opportunity,  redeemed himself when he assisted Gutierrez with a cross from outside the box which allowed a perfectly set up header for Gutierrez, who converted on a header; giving him a brace (two goals) for the day.

Photos by Matthew Thomas and Jozelyn Caldera/ Teal Tribune

“I think I played well, but there was a few times I missed shots I should have made,” Gutierrez said. “That’s what I need to work on.”

Head coach Rafael Gonzalez, who enters his second year at the helm, sees improvement with his team and feels that the experience will only benefit them.

“We had a good solid performance today,”  coach Gonzalez said. “Everyone played their role. We missed a few shots, but we improve on that with experience. We practice finishing in training, but when it comes down to those key moments in the game, we rely on the individual skill and talent.”

The Spartans continue tournament play at Canutillo Jan. 5 at 12:30 p.m.