Two goals in the first 10 minutes for Davis Sr. proved too much for the Mountain View boys soccer team to overcome in a 2-1 loss, ending the Spartans’ season and NorCal playoff hopes.
“They were ready to play, fast, very good team, we were just a little sluggish at the beginning, we just made a couple of mistakes and they pounced on them,” Mountain View head coach Jim McGuirk said.
Visiting Mountain View made the long journey to Davis in the CIF NorCal Division I semifinals Thursday and needed time to stabilize, responding to a strong Davis Sr. start with a goal from Javier Teeter from a Nicholas Garzino assist with approximately 10 minutes left in the first half. Mountain View sustained pressure in the second half, particularly in the last 25 minutes when the game was played in the Davis Sr. half as Mountain View pushed for an equalizer. The Spartans created chance after chance through corner kicks, set pieces and one-on-ones with the keeper, but could not find the second goal.
“Soccer has that little piece of it, where you’ve got to get the breaks at the right time, which we’ve had along the way and just didn’t have last night,” Jim McGuirk said.
No. 4 Mountain View (19-4-2) made the semifinals in dramatic fashion, with a golden goal in overtime Tuesday by defender Patrick McGuirk in a 3-2 win over No. 5 seed Rocklin in the quarterfinals before taking on top seed Davis Sr. Mountain View made late postseason drama its calling card this postseason, starting with a Central Coast Section Division I opening round win over St. Ignatius that included a missed penalty in the final minute and a tension-filled 2-1 win over Everett Alvarez in extra time of the CCS title game. Jim McGuirk was proud of the team’s effort and unity throughout the season to complete its main objective at the start of the season of winning a CCS title, noting that in his 38 years of coaching, last year was the only year he hasn’t had to give an end-of-season loss speech, with last year’s team winning the NorCal Division II playoff title. For him and the team, the highlight of the successful season was winning CCS as a No. 7 seed, overcoming blips and injuries during the season and beating several tough teams in the playoffs.
“I think winning this CCS title is what these kids are going to remember, what I’m going to remember,” Jim McGuirk said.
