MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake High School boys soccer picked up a 1-0 win at Lions Field on Saturday afternoon against 4A opponent Eastmont High School in Moses Lake.

The Chiefs found themselves in a tightly-contested battle in the first half, with both sides trading shots on goal. Neither team found the back of the net in the half, despite some close attempts.

Moses Lake stepped up the intensity in the second half and controlled the pace for much of the way. Midway through the second half, Jesus Taboada chipped in a shot just under the cross bar and just over the oustretched hands of the Eastmont goalkeeper to give the Chiefs the 1-0 lead.

Taboada was met by a flurry of excitement from his teammates after putting the Chiefs in front. Taboada scored again moments later but missed just off the inside of the side bar.

Eastmont had a chance to the game with about seven minutes to play when a deflection off a save from the Moses Lake goalie left the Eastmont attack staring down an open goal. However, the Moses Lake defensive line came up with yet another stop, clearing the ball out of the box before any damage could be done.

The Chiefs moved to 2-1 for the season. Senior Jesus Taboada said after the win that he was really proud of his team’s effort and was proud to be able to help push them to a win.

“I attribute a lot of my success to my team and the support I get from my team and God,” Taboada said.

He added it felt really good to be able to take down a rival at home. With a unique final season on the pitch with the Chiefs, Taboada said he’s working toward continuing his playing career next season at the college level.

Moses Lake head coach Derrick Gonzales said his team executed a lot of very specific things they have been working on in practice the last few weeks almost perfectly, particularly in the second half.

“In the second half, we didn’t really give them an inch and a lot of that is the incredible teamwork that they’re dedicated to,” Gonzales said.

He said he credits a lot of the successes Saturday to his team’s trust in one another and the communication coming from the captains. Gonzales said he credits the team’s intensity to the mindset that his players approach the game with and the mental preparedness that comes with that.

Gonzales said his defensive center backs, Abraham Morales and Bryer Knowles, were a large part of his team’s effort, facing two strikers and an attacking midfielder all second half.

“We were man-to-man on the back line, dealing with that, the whole half was incredible,” Gonzales said. “I credit most of the success in the second half to the defense.”

Moving forward, Gonzales said one thing he will look to improve on is the team’s rhythm and connectivity between partnerships on the field. In this unique season, he said, he expected it might take a little time to build that rhythm and is hopeful the Chiefs can put it all together next game after their strong performance against Eastmont.

The Chiefs will hit the field again on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they host Cascade High School.

Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at cmccarthy@columbiabasinherald.com.