Mariposa’s varsity boys’ soccer squad struggled against large school teams at last Saturday’s tournament in Amador.

The Grizzlies dropped their first game to powerhouse Placer, 3-0.

“It was a lot closer game than the score indicates,” said head coach Adam Finney. “They had three good opportunities and converted, and we had three and didn’t.”

Mariposa fell to the host, Amador, 2-1 in its second match. Amador took a 2-0 advantage at the intermission and with 13 minutes left in the shortened half, Colby Southwood gained control of a rebound and flicked it past the goalkeeper to put the Grizzlies on the board.

In its final match of the day, Mariposa fell to Golden Sierra, 1-0. That score came on a penalty kick, and it was a game that Finney felt the Grizzlies should have won.

“We dominated the game from beginning to end but didn’t get the ball in the net. We had three break-away opportunities that we didn’t convert on. It was pretty frustrating. The 25-minute halves really hurt us. That’s really nothing more than a glorified scrimmage,” Finney said.

Preseason play won’t get any easier for Mariposa this weekend as it travels to Roseville to compete in the Del Campo Tournament. The Grizzlies will face Colfax, Antelope Valley, Burbank, and Rio Linda on Friday and Saturday before they return to open Southern Athletic League play on Sept. 16.