SAN JOSE - The Lynbrook Vikings tied the Gunn Titans, 2-2, in a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League-El Camino showdown on Friday afternoon. The two teams played a physical, highly contested game that ultimately ended in a neutral result.
With three minutes to go in the game and the Vikings (1-6-3, 1-1-1) down 2-1, a critical penalty on the Titans (2-5-2, 0-1-1) in the box gave Lynbrook a penalty kick on a seemingly controversial call.
Soon afterwards, senior striker and captain Yoshitaka Wang fired the tying goal past Gunn goalie sophomore Denis Vaschenko.
The score, however, does not fully reflect the dynamic of the game, as the ball was on the Lynbrook half of the field for the majority of the game, especially in the first half. The Titans out-shot the Vikings 14-10 overall, including an 8-3 advantage in the first half.
Junior forward and captain Luis Hernandez exercised extraordinary ball control as he, along with midfielders Julian Buchel and Elyas Daadi, controlled the middle of the field and guided the Titans’ offensive attack. Their collective efforts resulted in six corner kicks in total, compared with the Vikings’ zero.
The corner kicks turned out to be a vital aspect of Gunn’s offensive success, as Buchel headed one into the net in the 20th minute. Overall, the Titans played a more physical game, as well, which not only resulted in a considerable amount of free kicks for the Vikings, but also an advantage in winning several one-on-one matchups.
“At times we possessed the ball, not as much as we did in our previous game, but we did a pretty good job at that regardless,” said Titans coach Ken Luis on his squad’s performance. “We were always working hard to get the ball, always trying to win the ball to set up the offense.”
The game also featured two defensive players coming up with big plays in crucial moments. Senior defender and captain Alexander Wong of the Vikings led a rapid surge across the field in the waning moments of the first half to score a decisive goal in the 36th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
Meanwhile, Titans defender and team MVP Brenton Atwood converted on a shot in the 45th minute to give Gunn a slender, yet confidence-boosting 2-1 lead.
“Brendon was working all over the field, even in a couple different positions today and he played great,” Luis said.
Despite the Titans’ first-half success, the Vikings came out strong in the second half. Fueled by a formidable, speedy trio up front of senior strikers Wang, Eric Chung, and Andrew Bae, Lynbrook produced a much-needed offensive spark.
The Vikings outshot the Titans and played an overall more fluid game, which featured both short and long passes all over the field to set up scoring opportunities.
“We have a lot of players that have great touch on the ball,” said Lynbrook coach Joe Simas. “So we used that to keep possession of the ball and keep moving.”
Although they were unable to turn these opportunities into goals, they had a sense of urgency that put pressure on the Gunn defense. Furthermore, they often matched the Titans’ physicality that seemed to overwhelm them in the first half.
“They didn’t quit and kept on working hard,” said Simas. “That’s what kept us in the game and ended up making a big difference.”
Looking forward, the Titans play the Monta Vista Matadors (7-1-3, 2-0-1) back at home on Jan. 22, while Lynbrook will visit the Wilcox Chargers (4-3-1, 1-1) on Jan. 22 as well.
