Just eight minutes into the first half, Chris DePetro capitalized on a corner kick from Cade Kronemyer to score the Ravens’ first goal of the game and fuel their momentum against Torrey Pines.
“[On corners] I just stand back post and wait for the ball to drop in, and sometimes it finds its way back post,” DePetro said. “I just took advantage of the opportunity.”
Canyon Crest went on to overpower Torrey Pines 3-2 on their own home ground, with a strong defensive front preventing the Falcons from getting on the board until late in the game.
As both teams began to pick up speed after the initial goal, DePetro passed a diagonal ball to Evan Shapiro, who squeezed past Falcon defenders and into the box to score for an early lead of 2-0.
“I got to [the ball], touched it with the right foot and then a second time with the left foot into the left corner,” Shapiro said. “We knew, going into this, that we needed to score early, [and] that if we scored within the first 15 minutes, we were confident that we would win.”
Throughout most of the game, Torrey Pines pressed offensively but were unable to overcome a tight Canyon Crest defense. DePetro had a second chance at goal seven minutes into the second half with a penalty kick, which was successfully blocked by Falcons goalkeeper Paul Bartlett. The Ravens’ third goal came about halfway through the second, with a pass from Joseph Aste to Victor Dufour, who tapped the ball past Bartlett.
“We played physical — out of the gate, they were afraid of us,” Shapiro said. “We just had to stay focused. Each play, we were calling it out, just talking throughout the whole game.”
In the last 10 minutes of the game, Torrey Pines surged with two back-to-back goals, suddenly exploding in amplified intensity. The final seconds saw the Falcons press the Ravens hard in their own territory in a last-ditch effort to tie the game, but they fell short as the whistle blew.
“We have a strong defense … and for the first 70 minutes of the game, we were strong,” DePetro said. “It was not until the last 10 minutes that we kind of lost our mental focus, and that’s when they got those two goals.”
The Ravens fell 2-0 to the Falcons earlier in the season at the Grossmont Soccer Tournament, and last beat Torrey Pines in their 2014-15 season.
“Whenever you play Torrey Pines, you know that they’re just a really strong team, and you’ve got to be up for it,” head coach Tom Lockhart said. “The last couple of games, we’ve had a tough time finishing, so today … we had to play a solid 80 minutes.”
Canyon Crest will take on Sage Creek on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. in a home game, and Torrey Pines will play Orange Glen on Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. on their home field as well.
