In a 16-team playoff bracket, the No. 2 seed beating the No. 15 seed is seldom, if ever, cause for celebration. In the 2005 CIF North Coast Section Class A boys soccer playoffs, however, the Calistoga Wildcats had a giant weight lifted off their collective shoulders in defeating the Drew (San Francisco) Dragons 4-3 on penalty kicks.
The game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation but neither team scored the go-ahead goal in two 10-minute sudden death periods — forcing a shootout.
Setting the stage: Since beating Athenian (Danville) 2-1 in 2002, Calistoga had experienced postseason failure the next two seasons despite gaudy regular seasons. The Wildcats suffered first-round postseason defeats to Mendocino (2-1 in overtime) and Justin-Siena (2-0) in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Calistoga entered the playoffs with an 18-game winning streak led by scoring machine Beto Mendoza. The North Central League II MVP scored a then school record 36 goals. In 2008, Edwin Meza annihilated that record with 56 goals.
Thumbnail sketch of the game: The game started out auspiciously for the Wildcats when McMahon crossed a pass to Omar Espinoza, who found the back of the net with 24 minutes gone by in the first half to give Calistoga a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats appeared poised to put another goal on the board but Beto Mendoza, who broke the school record in 2005 with 32 goals in a season, fired a penalty kick that sailed high above the crossbar.
Drew then regained the momentum as Liam Whelan scored the tying goal on a penalty kick with six minutes left in the first half to square the game at 1-1.
Whelan put the Dragons ahead 2-1 with 24 minutes left in regulation with a goal from 10-yards out — tightening the pressure on the Wildcats.
Calistoga, however, tied the game with four minutes left in regulation when McMahon scored after a Calistoga shot was dropped by the Dragons goalkeeper, which McMahon blasted into the back of the net.
After neither team could score in the two 10-minute extra periods, the penalty kick format ensued.
In the penalty kick series, Calistoga's Juan Avila scored first and Tejeda blocked Drew's Shea Whelan's penalty kick. Beto Mendoza put the Wildcats up 2-0 in penalty kicks before Drew's Jiles Pope closed the gap to 2-1.
McMahon's penalty kick then sailed above the crossbar and Liam Whelan squared the penalty kick series at 2-2. Jose Cervantes of Calistoga followed with the next one before Yannick Cusin drew the Dragons even at 3-3.
Then came Tejeda's decisive penalty kick.
Tejeda, Calistoga's goalkeeper, scored the decisive penalty kick and the resident Calistoga fans stormed the damp field like a herd of bulls.
"All I can say is 'Finally!'" Calistoga coach Arturo Mendoza rejoiced. "We're waiting for Saturday."
What it meant: For Wildcats’ fans, the thrill was short-lived. Three days later, the team would lose at home to No. 7 seeded Head Royce (Oakland) 3-2. However, this night was good for exorcising first-round demons.
Mendoza would resign as head coach after the season before Carlos Garcia Sr. took the reigns of the program. Calistoga would have two more years of first-round exits before reaching the NCS Div. III title game in 2009, losing 2-1 in overtime to Branson.
No comments:
Post a Comment