In an intense game between the top teams in the SCVAL-De Anza Division, the Mountain View Spartans scored in the 77th minute en route to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Santa Clara Bruins (11-6-2, 6-4-1).
The Spartans (13-2-3, 7-1-2) have now won their fifth consecutive division title.
“Our team played very well today,” Spartan junior striker Guillermo Burger said. “We definitely stepped up in the second half because we knew this win would make us No. 1 for the fifth year in a row.”
Though Mountain View coach Jim McGuirk acknowledges it was not their best game of the year, he is proud of the players for finding a way to get a couple of goals in the end. “Part of soccer is getting lucky, and we did on a few goals, he said. “We played hard, we kept trying, and we stuck in there.”
With three minutes to go, Spartan senior Cameron Lesslie prepared for his throw-in while players gathered near Santa Clara’s goal. His strength launched the ball perfectly into a group of Santa Clara defenders and Mountain View strikers, who all jumped in hopes of knocking the ball to a nearby teammate, but it was Mountain View senior defender Travis Pinkner who headed in the winning goal. The fans erupted into cheers and applause, while Pinkner’s teammates celebrated as well.
“The chat we had before the second half was definitely intimidating,” Mountain View midfielder senior Chris Barnes said. “Our coach told us we better pick it up if we want to win. Everyone thought of tradition in the last four years, so we didn’t want it to end now.”
With the game tied 1-1 at the half, offensive possession bounced back and forth for 20 minutes. Finally, at the 60th minute, fast-moving Santa Clara senior Emmanuel Hamzat blazed past the Mountain View midfielders, dodged the defenders, and faced the Spartan goalie one-on-one to score his second goal and gain the lead for the team.
But four minutes later, after Santa Clara goalie senior Derrick Eszlinger made a save, Burger stole the ball intended for a Bruin right in front of the Santa Clara goal. With only one defender on him, Burger ran just a bit faster to score for Mountain View and tie the game once again.
Santa Clara goalie senior Derrick Eszlinger had 17 saves, while Mountain View goalie junior Daniel Ballesteros had seven.
“We played better defensively in the second half. We changed our formations so we had more guys playing in the middle of the field, and I think that helped,” McGuirk said.
Santa Clara coach John Azevedo thinks his team had the potential to win, but the three goals that they gave up were costly mistakes. “We’re also missing a couple key players who are injured, but once we get them back, we’ll be fine,” he said.
Heading into the Central Coast Section playoffs, McGuirk wants his team to improve on their defense.
“We’ve been very good defensively all year. We don’t give up a lot of goals, so even just to give up two goals is a lot,” he said.
Hoping to add on to their four-game winning streak, the Spartans will travel to Homestead to play the Mustangs at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8. Santa Clara will meet Homestead at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
