With the starting senior center-back Jack Mclean out with a knee injury, the team had to rally behind junior Ethan Leong and boy did he step up. On Feb. 8 the Scots beat Menlo-Atherton 3-2 on a late go-ahead penalty shot goal by senior captain Dro Avetian.
The game got off to a roaring start as Avetian scored in the seventh minute in extraordinary fashion, taking on multiple defenders and finishing in the bottom right corner of the goal with a tap in. This goal was only shadowed by an equally beautiful finish by M-A as half-time approached.
“They were able to create their own luck. In this game, if you don’t create your own luck then you’ll end up with bad luck,” said Head Coach Will Stambaugh.
Just as the half was coming to a close, there was a ball crossed into the middle by the Scots. The M-A goalkeeper ran out to catch it, as he did Scots senior captain Brett Fitzpatrick dove in for the header. There was a collision that would change the momentum of the game as the M-A keeper went down and had to be escorted off the field due to injury.
As the momentum shifted, it was clear who was going to win this game. Avetian eventually got a penalty in the eightieth minute. He lined up and buried it in the bottom corner.
The Scots will always shoot for improvement, no matter how well they do as a team or how well they play.
The game was largely played in the air with high passes and not a lot of control by either team.
The lack of control was the main issue everyone on the teams had difficulty handling.
“We need to pay as a team and connect the ball on the ground,” said Avetian. He wasn’t the only one who had this thought.
Fitzpatrick said, “We have got to try and connect through the middle more.”
The Scots will look to make the necessary changes to beat rival Sequoia at their next home game on Feb 17 at 6:00 pm.
All in all, it was a solid win for a solid Scots team with a bright future in CCS.
