The West High boys soccer team couldn’t move in for a win over St. Mary’s in Tri-City Athletic League play Tuesday, and settled for a 1-1 tie in Stockton.

“St. Mary’s came to play and we came to play,” West coach Joe Perry said.

The Rams (1-1-2 TCAL, 3-2-3 overall), were hoping to recover from a loss to Tokay last week and proved to be a formidable adversary for West (2-1-1, 5-1-1). Forward Miguel Murillo took advantage of a free kick from the cleat of Fernando Dealba, as Murillo bunted the ball past West goalkeeper Ryan Miller to score in the first half’s tenth minute.

“I feel we definitely played with a lot more effort,” St. Mary’s coach Matt Kusanovich said.

St. Mary’s early lead, however, wouldn’t last for long. West’s offense kept the St. Mary’s goalie busy with repeated attempts at scoring.

The Wolf Pack’s hard work eventually paid off at the 30th minute of the first half. Raul Curiel sent the ball across the box from the left where it found Sergio Dias, who drove it into the goal to even the score at 1-1.

During the second half, the Wolf Pack appeared to take control of the ball. The offense continued to make the St. Mary’s goalie sweat with attempt after attempt to score.

When St. Mary’s was able to regain control of the ball it was met with resistance by Miller, who made a series of remarkable saves to preserve the tie.

Despite their efforts, neither team was able to score and pick up a win during the second half. Kusanovich said he sees things looking up for the Rams with the tie.

West, too, will bring home positives from the game.

“We played decent today,” Perry said.

West’s next game is Wednesday, when they host Tokay at West High.

JV

West High’s JV boys continue to impress as they triumphed over St. Mary’s in Stockton on Tuesday, 5-1. The Wolf Pack (8-0) scored three goals during the first half and two during the second half.