SAN JOSE - Mitty senior Andre Thurman had a Senior Day to remember as he scored the winning goal for the Monarchs with 20 minutes to go in the second half, defeating Valley Christian 2-1 on the final day of the regular season. The second player had been fighting an injury all week and was cleared to play right before the game.
The Monarchs (9-7-3, 6-7-1) got on the board early in the first minute of the game with sophomore Nicholas Coldiron getting his second goal in as many games off an assist from senior Owen Byrnes. Coldiron, playing in only his third game for the varsity squad as a recent pull up from the Monarchs junior varsity squad, also had his first varsity start. The Warriors (7-8-3, 4-8-2) scored 10 minutes later as the Monarchs' defense let its guard down and even looked to have scored a second right before halftime to take the lead, but the Warriors were deemed to commit an obstruction foul.
The second half started similar to the first with the Monarchs dominating offensively, with Valley Christian senior keeper Eric Waltz keeping the Warriors in the game making save after save. He could do little on Thurman's goal, which came off a free kick from fellow senior Ivan Orlovic from around half field, which saw Thurmann volley it first time over Waltz. The Warriors, playing for their CCS tournament lives, pushed bodies forward at the end to try and salvage their season, but the Monarch defense led by Tyler Stevenson kept Valley Christian at bay.
With the loss Valley Christian became officially eliminated from CCS tournament contention with their record falling below the .500 mark. However, under second year head coach and former San Jose State coach Gary St. Clair, the Warriors appear to be headed in the right direction. The Monarchs look to be potentially be a high seed in Division 2.
The Mitty women's team (13-2-4, 5-2-2) defeated Valley Christian (5-9-4, 0-7-4) by a scoreline of 3-0. Monarch senior Camille Lafaix scored twice, one on either side of the half. Sophomore Kylie McHale scored the Monarchs' third goal to seal the game. Senior Mia Napolitano and junior Julia Alvarez combined for the shutout in the Monarchs goal. The Monarchs finished second in the highly competitive WCAL and are a lock for the Open playoffs due to their high point total.
