SAN JOSE - In Wednesday’s Blossom Valley Athletic League-Mount Hamilton boys soccer showdown, the Leigh Longhorns delivered a strong all-around performance to down the Branham Bruins, 3-1.
The game remained highly contested and physical throughout, which was no surprise given the rivalry between the teams. Leigh (7-8-5, 6-6-2), however, managed to take advantage of more opportunities than Branham (8-2-9, 4-1-8) did.
“Our team came together today, they came together and played all as one,” said Leigh coach Frank von Rassler. “We struggled at the beginning of the season with scoring goals and playing as a team, but today they came together and were strong throughout the whole 80 minutes. They played 80 minutes of soccer.”
The Bruins opened up the scoring in the 18th minute with sophomore forward Kyle McClellan, who appeared to be in the right place at the right time, firing a shot past Longhorn freshman goalie Jeron Rojas. Their lead was short-lived, as it took only five minutes for Leigh to strike back. Senior midfielder and captain Andrew Frias took advantage of a foul in the box to find the back of the net off a penalty kick. Frias’ goal opened up the scoring for Leigh and was a turning point in the game, as it continued to score two more goals, while holding Branham to none.
“We always expect it to be physical with these guys,” said Branham coach Danny Kadah. “They were desperate and they really needed this win and I think that showed in the way they played. They were the aggressors today and deserved to win.”
Following Frias’ goal, Leigh set a fast pace on both sides of the ball, sparked by the play of senior midfielder and captain Salem Lee. Lee scored the Longhorn’s final two goals, with a header off a corner kick in the 39th minute and a rebound shot that flew past Branham goalkeeper Wyatt Austin in the 69th minute.
“We know Salem is a very good player, so we tried to steer the ball away from him, but he made plays,” said Kadah. “He’s always played well against us, and sometimes you have to tip your hat to some of the plays he makes. We know about him and we always do our best to contain him, but he still found a way to make a big difference; that’s a sign of a quality player.”
What stood out was Leigh’s relentless style of play that spread to all members of the team. Along with Lee, junior forward Kyle Anderson and sophomore forward Dominic Sorich forced the issue on Branham’s defense and never backed down.
“We found a weakness and just attacked it,” said von Rassler. “Those guys up front set a pace and didn’t give them time to control the ball. They were on them and forced them into making bad mistakes. It was just a whole team effort today. It really helped them pull through.”
Leigh’s desperation was likely in part because it needed to win to claim a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Branham relied on a lot of through passes and long balls to set up opportunities up front, many of which nearly resulted in goals in the second half. Speedy senior forwards Michael Urakami and Cole Elliott broke through multiple times but were never able to get shots past Rojas.
“We’re very good in the air, so Cole is a guy we like to use as a target,” said Kadah. “So we try to get balls to him as much as possible. I thought he had a great game, and in the second half there were a lot of close misses. If those had gone differently, the result maybe would have been a bit different.”
The game was by Leigh’s ability to take advantage of more opportunities than Branham did.
“Don’t get me wrong, Branham put up a great fight,” said von Rassler. “We just happened to put our chances away, and if they had put their chances away, this game could have been a lot closer.”
Now that the regular season is nearly finished, both teams are readying themselves for the playoffs.
“At this point in the season, we’re preparing for playoffs and getting our ducks in a row,” said Kadah. “We just want to go into the playoffs playing well. And I thought we played well today, even though the result didn’t go our way.”
Leigh plays their season finale at home against Lincoln on Feb. 21, while Branham travels to face Willow Glen.
