The Saratoga boys soccer team left it late Monday afternoon, scoring the game's only goal in the second for a 1-0 win at Gunn in SCVAL-De Anza Division action. The Falcons improved to 7-3-2 overall (2-1-1 SCVAL-DA) while the Titans dropped to 2-4-1 (1-2-0).
A strong defense left the game tied 0-0 at halftime, but Saratoga’s Erik Martin finally scored the vital goal with a powerful shot past Titan keeper Richard "Boot" Bullwinkle’s lower left. Falcon Keaton Matusich took the initial shot, but the ball ricocheted off a Gunn defender and landed right at Martin’s feet. From there on, it was easy pickings as Martin was able to finish to make it 1-0 in the 68th minute.
“We stayed strong throughout even though we didn’t possess the ball very much until the end,” Saratoga's Samuel Guy said. “I think the fact that we didn’t have a lead actually helped because it made us not lose focus, and that’s what really lead to that goal. A lot of teams can burn out or get tired in the second half, but we made sure not to do that.”
Without the luxury of a tied score, the Gunn Titans sprang into action late. Their efforts culminated nine minutes afterwards as Arjun Parikh gained control of the ball near the Falcon goal. A well-aimed cross brought the ball arcing straight for the net, and a header by Wyatt Eberspacher seemed to seal the deal. But the shot’s loping speed proved too slow for Saratoga goalie Cameron Schmelzer, who simply stretched his arms up and snatched the ball away from just below the crossbar.
As tempers flew high in the last minutes of the game, accusations of Falcons pushing Gunn players were heard from the stands. The pot boiled over when referee delays and Saratoga dawdling hindered a Falcon corner kick; Titan Paco Covarrubias was shown a red card for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit after the final whistle on a Saratoga player who was attempting to waste time. The game ended in a tense silence on the field while Titan parents in the stands shouted criticism at the referees’ decision.
“The game went pretty well, but it did definitely got pretty chippy at the end,” Saratoga's Keller Lofgren said. “Both sides lost a lot of time in the second half and it did get a little frustrating when the referees kept keeping us from resuming the game.”
The game remained stalled in the first half as both teams’ goalies easily defended the few kicks that got past their tight defensive lines, but Gunn came back from halftime with a more aggressive running game that were only saved at the tips of Schmelzer’s fingers.
“Will Guy was a great defender for our team this game,” Lofgren said. “He kept the ball from getting past us and moved the ball into Gunn territory whenever possible.”
The closest shot came at the 60-minute mark when Alex Perez dribbled the ball past a Saratoga defender for a short breakaway that culminated in a high, direct shot for the center of the net. Schmelzer could only react by instinct, and simply leaped up and batted the ball away with one arm at the very last instant.
But despite several narrow misses, Gunn proved unable to score, and the game concluded with a Saratoga victory from Martin’s one and only goal.
“We just need to have better possession of the ball—especially in the beginning,” Lofgren said. “It was a close game, and that could have been avoided if we’d just kept control of the game a little better.”
Saratoga will next face the Los Gatos Wildcats (6-4-2, 1-1-2) at home on January 16 (7:00 pm). Meanwhile, Covarrubias will have to sit out Gunn's January 16 away game against the Los Altos Eagles (3-4-0, 1-1-0) at 3:30 pm.
Editor's note: we have clarified the situation at the end of the game that resulted in a Gunn red card. Gunn is looking into having the red card rescinded by the league.
