Mountain View High School’s JV boys’ soccer team came out victorious over Carlmont, scoring a 1-point lead at the end of the second half, in a match on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The Spartans from Mountain View led over the Carlmont Scots, scoring two goals back-to-back, setting the score at 2-1 by the end of the game. The match was very tight, with neither team scoring a goal until the last 15 minutes of the game.
“It was a good contest between two teams; it was in our favor, but it could have been in theirs because they are a powerful team,” said Josue Aguilar, Spartans’ guest coach.
Both teams entered the match feeling confident, with the majority of the game standing at 0-0, and possession being evenly split between the two teams.
According to Carsyn Lee Meintzer, Carlmont’s striker, the Scots were less organized, which was a significant factor contributing to the Spartans’ victory.
“Unfortunately, we just weren’t sharp enough. There were chances where we could’ve pressured them onto the ball more, which wouldn’t have given them chances in the box to score, and could’ve made fewer sloppy mistakes, like fouls that were unnecessary. We just honestly didn’t want it enough,” Lee Meintzer said.
The Scots and the Spartans have not faced each other previously, and according to Carlmont’s head coach, the Spartans are a very talented team that destroyed their opponent in a match against Milpitas, taking the win 10-0.
“They are very challenging, so being disciplined is going to be very important just so that we can keep pace,” said Sean Campos, Carlmont’s JV head coach.
The Scots scored the first goal of the game, with their team captain, Gianni Hagerty, scoring a penalty and putting them ahead by one point with 15 minutes remaining.
Shortly after the first point was scored, Spartan Isaiah Hernandez took a corner kick, passing the ball to another player who was able to kick the ball into the goal, setting the score even 1-1.
With five minutes remaining, the Spartans managed to score again, taking a long-range shot and successfully scoring a goal. This shot gave them their 2-1 lead and overall won them the match.
“We pushed through as a team, and I think that’s what got us the game, just working hard,” Hernandez said.
Although the Spartans ultimately prevailed, the Scots put up a strong fight.
During the second half, a Spartan striker was in the Carmelont goalie Noah Kohn Murray’s box, and Kohn Murray ended up taking him out to get the ball but failed, resulting in a yellow card and his own substitution.
Due to this, Lee Mintzer had to step up and play goal keeper for a possession and ultimately saved a penalty for Carlmont.
“Obviously, we lost, and that hurts, but it obviously showed that we didn’t go out there looking weak and we poured it all out, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day,” Lee Meintzer said.
