By JOSH AYERS, Special to The Californian

Bakersfield Brigade second stringers Moises Gomes and Edgar Montero each knocked in a goal in the later part of the second half to lead the team to a 4-2 win over the Nevada Wonders at the inaugural home opener at Bakersfield Christian High School on Saturday night.

Gomes scored unassisted in the 78th minute when the Wonders goalkeeper, Kotani Mitsunori, tried unsuccessfully to chase down the ball. The goal put the Brigade up by one. Montero followed up with the last goal with a shot from outside of the box in the 85th minute, to give the Brigade a 4-2 lead and some insurance going into the final minutes of the game.  "I just needed an opportunity to prove what I could do," Montero said.

The Brigade dominated the first half with goals coming from defender Bryan Eisenbraun in the 22nd minute and from midfielder Jason Ashurst in the 29th minute. Johnny Carson assisted on both goals.
"We played well with possession," Carson said. "It was a good atmosphere." 

Brigade goalkeeper Brandon Hearron had four big saves on the night, helping to contribute to a scoreless first half for Nevada. Hearron let two unassisted goals sneak past him in the 55th and 58th minutes of the second half, to tie the game at 2.  "I wasn't too happy about that," Hearron said. Hearron said he was glad that the team won its first home game. 

 

The Brigade held the Wonders to just six shots on goal to Bakersfield's 15 shots for the night. Penalties were moderate for both teams. Nevada committed 10 fouls to Bakersfield's 18.
Brigade head coach Jay Gore said that his team played well the first half but in the second half the team's "level dropped and (we) let (Nevada) back into the game." Gore also said that he was happy the second string players "stepped up."

 

Notes: The 1-1 Brigade will host its next home game on May 28 at BCHS.  West All Stars beat the East All Stars in a High School match that featured the Bakersfield Californian All Area selection, 9-3.  Mike Esparza was the game MVP with three goals and two assists.