With the game deadlocked, visiting Santa Clara secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Los Altos with a goal in the final minutes. Senior Emmanuel Hamzat scored a late goal for the Bruins (8-2-2, 3-0-1 in SCVAL-De Anza Division) over the Eagles (3-7-0, 1-2-0), who were coming off a big win over fifth-ranked Mountain View.
“I think we played really well today,” Santa Clara senior goalie Derrick Eszlinger said. “We capitalized on the chances we got and came out on top.”
Eszlinger made six saves in the first half, which consisted of blocking Los Altos senior Ruben Hernandez’s scoring attempt, on a pass from senior Sean McLoughlin, in the second minute. The trio of Hernandez, McLoughlin, and sophomore Kunal Patel had a solid seven attempts to score in the first half.
Los Altos senior goalie Michael Andris also made five saves, and a block by teammate senior Ed Sartor in the penalty box prevented the Bruins from scoring in the 15th minute.
Santa Clara was extremely close to scoring again when senior Justin Bermudes’ long free kick ricocheted off of the goal post in the 18th minute. Bermudes, Hamzat, and junior William Hernandez put pressure on the Eagles’ defense in the first with their swift passes and many scoring attempts.
Los Altos head coach Vilmar Marques felt the Eagles came out flat in the first half and didn’t play with the intensity they had against Mountain View in a 2-1 win.
“We were playing from behind after Santa Clara’s first goal, so there was a lot of pressure and the time was ticking quickly,” he said. “We played much better in the second half.”
In the beginning of the second half, a fast-approaching ball towards the Los Altos goal almost slipped past Andris, but his speedy dive resulted in a crucial save declared by the referees. Things got heated when Santa Clara declared it a goal, but the referees stayed with their call.
With a goal already under their belt, the Bruins weren't too worried until the Eagles scored their first and only goal, which tied up the score late in the second half. A few minutes before, Los Altos was extremely close to scoring when sophomore Matt Schoner kicked the ball right over the goal.
With a few minutes left in the game, Santa Clara was awarded a corner kick. The ball found its way into the penalty box to Hamzat, who rapidly knocked it into the goal before any Los Altos defenders could kick it out. After scoring the second and last goal for his team, Hamzat and his teammates ran back to the others with beaming smiles, while a few Santa Clara fans cheered on the side.
“Offensively, our forwards took care of everything for us,” Eszlinger said. ““Defense is also key, so we kept ours pretty tight.”
Andris had roughly seven more saves in the second, while Eszlinger had around five.
According to Marques, his team played in a 4-5-1 formation with the wide players moving up to form a 4-3-3, and in the second half, the Eagles played in a 3-5-2 formation.
“We’re just trying to win the game,” he said. “Ties don’t do us any good, and unfortunately, Santa Clara scored the goal in the last minute.”
Going into the next game, Marques wants his team to work on scoring more.
“One of our weaknesses is we don’t score as much as we should, but overall, I think we played a good game today,” he said.
The Eagles will soar into Homestead Stadium to take on the Mustangs on Jan. 14 at 3:30 pm. On the same day, the Bruins welcome the Mountain View Spartans to their lair.
