DUBLIN,CA — Just like in 2014, De La Salle and Monte Vista clashed in the North Coast Section Division I championship.
The result was the same, a De La Salle victory, this time by a score of 3-1, as the Spartans got a big night from senior Luke Giusto, who scored De La Salle's first two goals, including the eventual game-winner after Monte Vista had equalized things early in the second half.
The win stopped a four-year drought, in which De La Salle was eliminated in three consecutive years in penalty kicks. This year, the game did not have to go into penalty kicks, or even overtime. De La Salle took care of business in regulation.
“This means everything in the world, last year it was the most gut wrenching was to lose in PKs,” Giusto said. “This is for my teammates. I'm proud of them and wouldn’t want to do it without them.”
His first goal came in the first half, and was the only one in the first 40 minutes. Giusto curved the ball to get past the Mustang defense and into the back of the net, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead over Monte Vista. The Mustangs, however, found the equalizer early in the second half, as Tanner Van Dam found the back of the net just five minutes into the second half, evening the score at 1-1.
Giusto's second goal, however, proved to be the decisive, and it came through the air, as he got his head on a ball in the box, off a corner kick, and placed the ball in the upper left corner for the 2-1 lead. The goal came with 25 minutes left to play, but the Spartans put things away for good when Giusto found Chris Falco for the insurance goal, with less than 10 minutes left in the match.
“Even with the game being so close I felt like the guys were comfortable,” De La Salle head coach Derricke Brown said. “We reminded ourselves ever that when we get scored on there is time to go and get more in.”
Monte Vista had minimal shots on the board, preventing the Mustangs from making a run at another equalizer in the second half, and contributing to the early deficit.
“We were kind of on the back foot of the first half and played nervous a little bit,” Monte Vista head coach Jimmy Adranly said.
Both team’s seasons will continue, as they have qualified to be part of the first-ever CIF Northern California regional tournament.
