The Mountain View boys soccer team’s hope for repeating as CCS champions fell short in a 2-1 overtime loss to Archbishop Mitty Wednesday in the semifinals.
The home defeat is only the second of the season for the Spartans (18-2-2), who would have met St. Francis in the Division I final a year after beating Alisal in the CCS Open Division championship as a No. 7 seed. The Division I playoffs is the highest level of competition in CCS this year.
“It hurts,” Mountain View striker Liam Barrett said. “Being a junior on the team last year and a senior now, I just wanted to bring it home for the younger guys and just go out with a last win, but it happens. Mitty is a great team, but I think we definitely missed some chances.”
The Spartans got off to a good start against the Monarchs thanks to an early goal from Barrett after just five minutes. Winger Ali Edris hit a low cross from the right side after dribbling past a defender, allowing Barrett to finish after arriving in the box. The striker spends time in practice every day on scoring from crosses and timed the run to perfection.
“I was right there at the right time,” Barrett said. “Ali and I have been playing together for a long time, so he knows where I am.”
Mitty responded with a goal from Guiseppe Sigala 20 minutes through the first half after Mountain View could not clear a long ball over the top that Sigala controlled and scored. Mountain View had several chances to score in the second half and overtime, including a chance with 14 minutes left where forward Nicco Garzino had a header saved by Mitty goalkeeper Alan Quintero just a few feet from goal. After a scramble in the box, Mitty cleared the ball off the line. After a chance for Spartans defender Sohum Kumar with nine minutes left, Quintero produced a diving save with his fingertips on a low shot from Garzino at the end of the second half that was heading into the net.
“Tonight wasn’t our night; their goalie came up big,” Mountain View head coach Jim McGuirk said. “I feel like we could have had a couple of goals there before regulation ended and one in overtime, too. That’s the way soccer works sometimes. My guys played great; they fought hard all night.”
Mitty made the most of its opportunities with an early goal just a few minutes into the first overtime period, prompting the Spartans to throw everything at the Monarchs for the last 17 minutes. Mountain View had several headed shots but couldn’t find the winner in an increasingly frantic finish.
“I thought we were going to get it tonight,” McGuirk said. “I felt like there was that 20 minutes at the end of the game that was really good for us. We were all over them but couldn’t find a way to get one in. An inch here or an inch there.”
In the aftermath of the game, while in his postgame talk with the boys, McGuirk told the team only one team wins CCS in the end, a message he has had to deliver in 34 of his 35 years of coaching. McGuirk said while everyone was feeling down, the team still had a fantastic season after winning the SCVAL De Anza Division without a loss and setting a record for wins this season with 18.
“We always have that to look back on,” McGuirk said of the league title and wins number. “So, to me, that’s what will be the focus at the end of this whole thing.”
The Spartans’ season continues in the Northern California state playoffs, with the team qualified thanks to its 1-0 win over Alisal in the quarterfinals Feb. 17.
“It will be a little hard the first couple of days,” McGuirk said. “I’m sure it will be a little rough at practice, but I feel like they will be motivated to come out and play as hard as they can next week.”
