St. Ignatius took an early lead in its CCS playoff match against Santa Clara, but the advantage may have backfired on the Wildcats, who wildly underestimated the counterattack ability of the Bruins. As a result, Santa Clara (13-6-2), which finished second in the SCVAL De Anza Division, cleaned up in the first round of CCS Boys Division II Playoffs with a 3-1 win over WCAL entrant St. Ignatius (10-7-4).
The obvious star of the team and of the match was senior Emmanuel Hamzat, who scored twice for Santa Clara. Hazmat played aggressively throughout the entire game, even taking a chance shot from the end line when his teammates were apprehensive to pull the trigger.
In the 63rd minute, Hamzat broke the stagnating pace of the game by driving down the right wing and striking the ball from a good 18 yards out. The daring shot went to the far post for a 2-1 lead.
Even St. Ignatius’ coach John Prior gave his compliments to Hamzat, saying, “[Santa Clara] really had quality players up top. We were really struggling to keep [Hamzat] on the racks, and at the end of the day, he really won the game for Santa Clara.”
The victory advanced Santa Clara to the next round of the playoffs, but for Hamzat, it was a milestone. Hamzat scored his 28th goal, breaking the school record for points in a single season.
“We’re in a defensive league because we don’t give up many goals, and for ‘Emmano’ to score 28 goals, that’s really good,” said Santa Clara coach John Azevedo.
“As the forward, my job is to score goals, and I just do my job,” Hamzat said modestly. “I play with my team; I just happen to score the goals.”
And that is a serious understatement. To put this into perspective, Santa Clara collectively scored 47 goals this season, so 60 percent of them belong to Hamzat.
Of his team, Hamzat said, “We like each other as if we were brothers, and we spend a lot of time practicing every day to get better.”
Still, it is refreshing to hear such humility and appreciation for teammates from a player like Hamzat, since forwards generally receive the credit - and the blame - for the outcome of a game.
Speaking of which, the game itself was very balanced, and both teams struggled to gain the upper hand for most of the 80 minutes. The first goal was from Tommy Terry of St. Ignatius who happened to be at the right place at the right time, as is often the case in soccer. Santa Clara suffered a serious defensive breach, and the ball rolled across an open net from 6-10 yards out; it was nearly impossible to miss.
Santa Clara recovered quickly, and senior Justin Bermudes smashed the ball into the far pocket off of a low cross. In the span of two minutes, both teams scored one goal apiece, leaving the score 1-1 by halftime.
Additionally, the Wildcats and the Bruins played with the same formation: a flat four in the back, two outside midfielders, central attacking and central defending midfielders, and two center forwards. St. Ignatius almost broke the tie by scoring an unlikely goal.
A free kick ricocheted off of a player’s shoulder into the net, but the referee denied this critical point because Santa Clara’s flat four created an effective offsides trap.
The game eventually became a battle between the physically dominant Wildcats against the technically gifted Bruins. The Wildcats had a strong advantage over the Bruins, especially in the midfield, because of their size, but Santa Clara moved the ball quickly and developed plays for scoring opportunities, something that St. Ignatius had difficulty doing.
St. Ignatius missed a chance to score in the second half when several players challenged a stray ball in front of the Santa Clara goal. Shockingly, the ball rolled past two forwards and a Bruins defender completely untouched.
“This game is like any game: you gotta score. That’s been our Achilles’ heel this season, to put the ball in the net,” said Prior.
Santa Clara played with more discipline and better composure, so it is no wonder that the Bruins emerged victorious. Since Santa Clara’s defense was solid, Hamzat and Bermudes were always prepared to counterattack, while St. Ignatius did not stay in position well. Philip Otto appeared to be playing left back, but he led a number of offensive plays, leaving one side particularly vulnerable to Hamzat’s speed.
Towards the end of the game, the two teams were still at a draw until Hamzat scored with the long ball to make it 2-1, Santa Clara. With less than ten minutes to go, St. Ignatius’ scrambling defense conceded a second goal for Hamzat, and he dramatically fell to his knees, knowing that the game was effectively over at 3-1.
Santa Clara will go on to face Archbishop Mitty (15-1-7), the WCAL champions, in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Pioneer (2 pm).
