Don’t let Matthew Deguzeman’s mild manner fool you on the soccer field. The second you think Deguzeman is not in the game is the second you lose.

Unfortunately for the Lions in 6U-A soccer play, Deguzeman struck quick and often, tallying back-to-back-to-back goals to seal a 9-5 victory for the Skeletons on Saturday at Youth Sports Inc.

With the game still in doubt, Deguzeman’s killer instinct kicked in and opened an insurmountable lead for the Lions. Deguzeman’s first, and perhaps most impressive goal, started in the Skeleton zone. After stripping the ball from a Lion attacker, Deguzeman took the ball full field, dodging a defender and scoring his first of three goals.

On the ensuing kickoff, Deguzeman swooped into a Lion passing lane, outran the defense and knocked in his second goal of the day. Not surprisingly, Deguzeman once again played relentless defense and found himself with the ball and an open goal, recording his third goal on the day in a minute time span.

The Lions were finally able to stop Deguzeman, but that was because he needed a breather after all the work he had done.

Looking to duplicate Deguzeman’s performance, Grayson Gilbert of the Lions did his part to try to tighten the score up between the two teams. After watching Deguzeman from the sideline, Gilbert did his best impersonation, tallying back-to-back goals for the Lions. Losing 8-3, Gilbert found himself in the right place at the right time as the ball came trickling out of a group of Skeleton defenders right to his foot where he punched in a quick goal. Not content with a single goal, Gilbert went right back to work on his second goal in as many chances. Gilbert used his shiftiness to weave around Skeleton defenders en route to an open goal.

However, the push was too little too late for the Lions, as the Skeletons implemented their lock-down defense, holding the Lions scoreless the rest of the game. Jessica Coleman of the Skeletons dashed across the field to clear the ball away from her goal and was able to send the ball downfield and out of danger.

Carson Juhl did his part in slowing down the Lion offense, pestering Lion attackers and limiting the amount of scoring chances. Juhl also displayed his passing abilities to set up his Skeleton teammates for doorstep goals.

“We really hustled today,” Skeleton head coach Jon Hofer said. “They really worked on passing the ball, and that’s the most important part of the game, passing.”

While the Skeletons went on to win the match, several Lion players contributed to make it a contest.

Skeleton Matthew Deguzeman, left, and Lion Quinn Rigney rush to the ball Saturday at Youth Sports Inc.

Quinn Rigney rushed full field with Skeleton defenders nipping on his heels to record a goal. Fellow Lions starter Lacey “Rose” Greenfield stifled several Skeleton scoring opportunities by positioning herself properly and then attacking the ball handler.

While the Lions came up just a bit short, head coach Johnny Paradise was pleased with what he saw.

“They really gave an all out effort today,” Paradise said. “We just came up a little short in the end, but they did a real nice job.”

Despite the late push by the Lions, Deguzeman’s contributions ended up being too much for the Lions to overcome. Next time the Lions face off against the Skeletons, the Lions will be sure to keep their eyes on the mild-mannered offensive monster.