Saint Francis (10-3-2, 6-3-2) took control of second place in WCAL with a 3-1 victory over Saint Ignatius (9-4-3, 5-3-3) Saturday in Mountain View. The Lancers were led by two first-half goals from freshman striker Matthew Korpontinos.
“We had to keep the ball on the ground,” said St. Francis midfielder Dhruv Patel. “They have height over us, they’re physical, so if we move it on the ground then we take that away from them. We have the technical ability and the speed to play it on the ground.”
The Lancers were able to keep the ball on the ground, especially in the first period, and so they controlled possession. Saint Francis was aggressive from the onset, as the Wildcats had a hard time getting the ball out their own half of the field. The Lancers, which had two shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of play, could not capitalize on their possessions, and Saint Ignatius was able to advance the ball. However, despite having four corner kicks, the Wildcats couldn’t find the net and only had two shots on goal the entire half.
“The game for us was to keep them on the ground and get rid of it early,” said St. Francis coach Thomas Silvas. “The last time we played them, the field was narrow and we kept putting the ball in the air. And if you put the ball in the air against SI, they come in and they make it a physical game.”
Korpontinos finally struck in the 22nd minute on a breakaway down the right side, and the keeper could not get a hand on the shot. Then, in the 26th minute, Korpontinos scored again after the goalkeeper deflected a pass from the right goal line to him, and he buried it in the back left corner. The Lancers went into the half with a 2-0 lead.
“In the first half, we were very flat,” said St. Ignatius coach John Prior. “We didn’t move the ball, and we had too many men standing a watching the game instead of playing. I don’t know why that is. It just happens sometimes. It took us 40 minutes to wake up, really.”
The Lancers extended their lead on the other side of the half in the 42nd minute, when Patel hit a left-legged shot from the left side of the penalty area. “The ball came to me, I saw my guy stepped, so I flipped to the other side of him and just shot,” said Patel.
Forward Denis Shanagher finally put his Wildcats on the board with a header in the 46th minute. Shanagher went up to head in the free kick from 30 yards out and collided with the keeper, who couldn’t get to the ball.
The game became noticeably more physical in the second half, as the ball was played in the air significantly more and cards were given. Robert Lacomle was sent off for Saint Francis in the 70th minute after receiving his second yellow card of the match on a slide tackle.
“It was a little bit of touchy feely stuff. Both teams played hard,” said Prior. “We have a history against Saint Francis over the years, and everybody plays hard. Sometimes, it’s bordering on the edge, but there’s a lot of testosterone out there. Kids are kids. It’s nothing more than that.”
The significance of this match is clear for the Wildcats.
“It’s a wake-up call,” said a disappointed Prior. “We definitely under-achieved today, we didn’t play up to our potential. There’s quite a ways to go with the regular season and the playoffs, so it’s a wake-up call and we just hope that we don’t get anymore.”
For the Lancers, the win is a big one coming off of a 3-2 loss to Bellarmine.
“To get a result is good for our confidence, especially going into Mitty. With three or four games left, the points are crucial, and you’ve got to be up when you play Mitty,” said Silvas.
Both teams are back in action Wednesday, as St. Ignatius visits Serra and the Lancers host first-place Archbishop Mitty. Both matches kick off at 3:15 pm.
