She shoots, she scores! In the final minute of an intense battle at Los Altos between the top two SCVAL-De Anza Division teams, Los Altos sophomore Allie Crum scored the only goal of the game, and the Eagles soared to a 1-0 victory over the Los Gatos Wildcats (10-2-1, 5-1-0 SCVAL-DA, 15 points).
The Eagles (7-1-2, 5-0-1, 16) have won four games in a row, and they ended the Wildcats’ five-game winning streak. Los Altos is now in first place in the De Anza Division, one point ahead of Los Gatos.
Los Altos coach Armando Luna believes his team played well and the players kept the pressure up during the entire game.
“We played Los Gatos in the preseason and we had a really bad game against them, so this was a complete turnaround,” he said. “From the last time we played Los Gatos to this time, we played in a different shape, which allowed us to be more competitive.”
As the final minutes started winding down, both teams showed increasing intensity in every movement made, from kicks to physical contact. In the 79th minute, junior Paige Eller found herself in Wildcat territory while dribbling down the sideline with a Los Gatos defender on her. She quickly passed to freshman Stephanie Kouvelas in the penalty box. Another swift exchange from Kouvelas to Crum set the Eagles up for a scoring attempt. Crum drilled the ball into the top half of the goal, and despite Los Gatos goalkeeper freshman Mayte Corral’s agile jump, she was unable to get a good grip on the shot.
For a few seconds, there was uncertainty whether the ball had actually crossed into the goal, but when the referees confirmed it, the Los Altos spectators erupted into claps and cheers while the players celebrated around Crum.
“Our last-minute goal shows the character that we have on the team, as far as not giving up and working all the time,” Luna said. “Hard work pays off.”
Both teams put up tough defenses during the entire game, and possession of the ball was fairly equal. Corral and Los Altos goalkeeper freshman Carrie Wendelken had three saves each during the first half. Los Gatos came extremely close to scoring in the first when junior Kayla McQuade ran full-charged towards the goal, but in the nick of time, a Los Altos defender kicked the ball out of her possession. In the 27th minute, Crum blocked a fast-zooming shot from Los Gatos junior Maddie Medved, which prevented another goal.
The Eagles also had their opportunity to score in the first, starting with a corner kick. Sophomore Rebecca Andrews stood ready near the goal for a header, but two Los Gatos defenders blocked her attempt. Los Altos freshman Tess Wendelken led the Eagle offense with five scoring attempts during the entire game.
In the second half, Corral and Wendelken each had five saves, while the defenders on both sides also had their fair share of blocks. Wendelken had a déjà vu moment from the first half when she saw a Los Gatos player advance faster and faster to the goal, but before the Wildcat could take a shot, a Los Altos defender slid in front and blocked the kick.
“We came out a little bit slow and we didn’t come out with the intensity that we needed to win this game,” Los Gatos coach Stephanie Pearson said. “All credit goes to Los Altos because they did.”
Even with the victory, Luna still sees room for improvement.
“We have to improve on the attacking third and finishing, but other than that, we’re doing everything else pretty well,” he said.
Pearson believes her girls need to work on being consistent and playing with the same intensity during all 80 minutes of the game, but she’s still proud of how her team played.
“The girls always play with heart, and they never gave up,” Pearson said.
The Eagles will have home-field advantage again when they take on the Saratoga Falcons on Jan. 23 at 3:30 p.m. On the same day at the same exact time, the Wildcats are on the road again, where they will face off against the Mountain View Spartans, who are the third-place team in the De Anza Division.
