In the last minute of the Homestead Cup group stage match between host Homestead and visiting Menlo-Atherton Saturday morning, Homestead's Chuy Martinez Diaz took a corner kick, sending the ball into the densely packed penalty box. Despite the shoving, jumping, and kicking, the ball found its way to the far post untouched. Riley Klein, a senior midfielder, leaped up to get a foot on it, but it was too late. The window of opportunity passed, and the game was over. Both teams settled for a point in a 0-0 tie.
In soccer, much of the game is exciting, not because of the goals that are scored, but rather the goals that barely miss. In the matchup between Homestead and Menlo-Atherton, all of the game was defined by the missed goals for a scoreless yet highly entertaining competition.
From the get-go, the Mustangs and the Bears played with high-intensity, aggressively pressuring every player and working the ball across the field. In particular, Homestead’s four in the back did an exceptional job of switching the ball in the defensive third and using the keeper Henry Greco as a relief, and it was instrumental in maintaining composure for their attacking players.
“[Homestead] did well. They had phases of the game where they we absolutely dominating,” said Menlo-Atherton coach Jacob Pickard. “I’d say most of the first half after the first 7-10 minutes, they had a good sequence of play.”
One standout from Homestead was midfielder Yuta Arai, who led most of the attacks in the first half. Arai with his speed and ballhandling made it difficult for defenders to mark him, since he was able to release the ball as soon as he controlled it. In the 28th minute, Arai tried to run onto a ball from forward James Shin but the goalie got to it first. Less than five minutes later, Arai was back with the ball, but solid defense on Menlo-Atherton’s part kept him out again.
Pickard was alarmed by the referees’ performances because on numerous occasions, questionable plays were uncalled. Generally advantages are given to teams who retain possession, but Pickard was more concerned about the safety of the players on both sides of the field, who were getting more aggressive as the game went on.
“If it had been a cleaner game, we could have seen more ‘soccer.’ I think that players, unless they are restrained, test the limits, and the referees didn’t give them any,” Pickard said. "Unfortunately it turned into a bit of a brawl, for lack of a better term. I think both teams got caught up in the physicality and that there weren’t many goals because this wasn’t much of a ‘soccer match.’”
Poor execution on set pieces proved to be the crux of both teams in their inability to score. Fifty-five minutes in, captain Flint Mitchell took a free kick just outside of penalty box. He lobbed it, and the ball dipped enough to hit the football goalpost, which is two feet above the soccer goal. Later in the game, Alexei Lopez, a towering forward for M-A, set up for a free kick 22 yards from the goal, only to smash the ball into the four-man wall 10 yards away.
In the 61st minute, Homestead’s Chris Chen took a long free kick and played it to Arai, who attempted a bicycle kick in front of the goal. Unfortunately, the ball was not high enough for him to execute.
“We could have played better in the attacking part of the game,” Chen mentioned. “We had opportunities; we just didn’t take advantage of them.”
