SAN JOSE - For the first 70 minutes of Saturday afternoon's CCS Division 2 boys soccer championship match, the Mt. Pleasant goal was under very little duress from the Sacred Heart Cathedral attack.
But over the final 10 minutes, the Cardinals (19-4-1) needed to muster every ounce of defensive energy to hold onto a 1-0 victory over the Irish and claim the Division 2 title. With the win, the Cardinals advance to next week's NorCal playoffs.
"This is tremendous for the boys and their parents," said Mt. Pleasant coach Nick Arellano. "'Family' can be an overused word in sports. That said, this time there can be no other word to describe this MP community right now."
Having attempted no shots on goal through the first 70 minutes, Sacred Heart Cathedral (11-9-3) went on the offensive and had several chances to send the match into overtime. The best chance occurred in the 71st minute after a shot by junior center back Eli Streiker-Hirt was cleared off the line by a Mt. Pleasant defender.
In the ensuing scramble, a Mt. Pleasant defender was whistled for handling the ball, resulting in a penalty kick. However, goalkeeper Julian Escobar made a dive to his left to save the low shot and preserve the 1-0 lead. Sacred Heart Cathedral pressed valiantly in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time, but was unable to create another significant opportunity.
After a scoreless first half, Mt. Pleasant opened the scoring in the 44th minute when attacking midfielder Ramiro Palencia picked up a loose ball in midfield and drove toward the SHC penalty area. He then laid the ball to the right to senior winger Pedro Vazquez, who took the ball in one-on-one with goalkeeper Parker Whitcomb and calmly slotted the ball in the lower right corner.
The first half started with intense pressure from Mt. Pleasant, as the Cardinals generated five shots and forced three corner kicks in the first 15 minutes. The Cardinals were especially dangerous through right winger Jason Meza, but Sacred Heart Cathedral withstood the early onslaught and got back into the match. Mt. Pleasant out-shot Sacred Heart Cathedral 8-4 (4-0 on goal) in the first half and had a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.
