Sports
BOYS SOCCER: Mountain View Makes History
Ball control and timely scoring help Mt. View move on to CCS Finals for first time in school history.
Mountain View 2, Menlo-Atherton 0
The Stars: Mt. View seniors Riley Hanley and Zack Wilson weren’t ready to let their dream senior season end. The duo led the way for the Spartans, playing some super soccer under the lights. Seemingly always first to the ball, especially in the midfield, Mt. View defeated M-A 2-0 in the D-I semis on a chilly Tuesday night at Piedmont Hills High in San Jose. The Spartans advance to the Central Coast Section Division I Final that will take place on Saturday.
Wilson dished a perfectly placed back pass to Hanley for the second scoring tally of the evening for the Spartans. Junior Lucas Mohageg poked home the first goal of the night in the 8th minute. After a Mt. View direct kick into the box, Mohageg charged to the far post and placed the ball into the corner of the net.
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The Turning Point: Ahead by one at the break, the Spartans didn’t sit on the lead coming out for the final 40 minutes of play. Instead, the aggression level ramped up a few notches, putting even more heat on the M-A midfield and back end. M-A survived several near misses by Mt. View in the first 20 minutes of the half, but the second goal of the night eventually came in the 76th minute. A beautifully no-look, back touch from Zack Wilson to Riley Hanley resulted in the second and final goal for the Spartans.
The Quote: “I can’t even describe it,” Wilson said about the emotions going through his mind after the semifinal triumph for the Spartans. “Coach told us at the half that one goal wasn’t going to be enough to win it. We were knocking on the door for while in the second half. We finally got that second one.”
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The Spartans senior knows another big test awaits on Saturday in the CCS finals against West Catholic League and perennial boys soccer power Bellarmine Prep-San Jose.
“They’re a great team,” Wilson said. “You can tell it’s going to be a good game. No one has been able to stay with us yet. We know it’s going to be a challenge playing them, but we’re excited about it.”
What's Next? Mt. View squares off against Bellarmine Prep on Saturday at Gilroy High in the CCS Division I finals. The starting time has not yet been determined.
Bottom Line: Mt. View connected passes and controlled the ball for the majority of the night. They wore down the M-A midfield with its physical defensive pressure and accurate passing offense. M-A junior Edgardo Molina couldn’t find the room or shooting space he needed to be his usual self Tuesday night. Molina’s only scoring chance came late in the second half off a quick turn and shot in the box that buzzed wide left of the post.
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Mt. View 2, M-A 0
(at Piedmont Hills)
Scoring: MV: Mohageg (Hanley) 8:00, MV: Hanley (Wilson) 76:00
Records: MV: 16-1-4. M-A: 14-4-2.
