If there is one absolutely, positively definitive thing to stay about Flagstaff and Coconino boys soccer, it's that there is no absolutely, positively definitive way of telling which team is better.

The cross-town rivals played to a heated 3-3 tie at Coconino High School Wednesday, and players, fans and coaches will all have to wait until a little more than a week into the new year to see which team will earn the city bragging rights.

After getting its first win in years over the Eagles in 2012, the Panthers looked to repeat the feat again Wednesday. Leading 3-1 with a little more than 20 minutes left the play, Flagstaff showed up, however, and took over the match.

"We played pretty tough, and Flag showed up to play in the second half," Coconino head coach Kalani Kuamoo said. "We had a couple injuries in the back, but we knew they were going to be strong, and that's good for us. Next time, we'll just see who's better at making adjustments."

Coconino found the back of the net first when Javier Alaniz scored in the 22nd minute off an assist from Juan Samano. The Eagles answered quickly -- scoring just two minutes later -- on a penalty kick by Gustavo Navarro to even the match at 1-1, but the Panthers defense clamped down and didn't allow Flagstaff to score for nearly 40 minutes.

"Flag put some pressure on us, and our defense stepped up; we just gave up some unlucky goals," Kuamoo said.

The Panthers took a 2-1 halftime lead when Steven Dumas scored with just more than 7 minutes remaining in the half.

Coming out of the halftime break, it was clear neither team was going to give anything easily, and Coconino extended it's lead to 3-1 on Dumas' second goal of the day.

Flagstaff showed it wouldn't go down without a fight and Uriel Rivera scored Flagstaff's only "normal" goal on a rebound off a free-kick from the 20-yard line.

"The defense is the solid core of the team," Kuamoo said. "When they're clicking, we're clicking. They scored off a corner (kick) and on a penalty kick with just one earned goal. Next time, we'll look to not make some of the same mistakes."

Kuamoo added that he moved some players around to put a stop to Flagstaff's scoring, which it did for the most part.

"I went to just one striker with 20 minutes left, and if we can keep pressure up top, we'll play better next time," he said. "We pulled off our first win against Flag High last year, and it was years before that, so we'll take a tie over a loss. It was just a flat-out battle and it could have just been one more unlucky situation that could have made it a different match."

Adao Limones scored the Eagles last goal of the match on a corner kick.

Coconino keeper Jose Escandon faced an onslaught of Eagles shots, but stopped 19 of them in the tie. Scott Morrison faced just 10 Panthers shots, and let three in for goals with just seven saves.

"Jose does a good job for us every time," Kuamoo said. "He played with heart and played through a bit of an injury. I tried to sub him out, but he refused, and he just knows the game. He keeps us close in a lot of matches."

Flagstaff hosts Page High School at 3 p.m. Monday, while the Panthers host Bradshaw Mountain at 3 p.m. Monday.

Flagstaff will host the second round of the rivalry series at 3 p.m. Jan. 8.

"It's going to be more hyped because this is unfinished as a tie, and we both want to come out on top," Kuamoo said of the rematch. "I'm expecting it to be another intense match like we had (Wednesday)."

Bill Harris can be reached at bharris@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.