Cap’s storybook soccer season ends in semis

Leigh senior Anthony Paoli scored his second game-winning playoff goal in as many games, scoring on a breakaway in the 62nd minute. Cap recovered to hammer away for a potential equalizer, but simply could not solve goalkeeper Timothy Syrel and the Leigh defense.

“I think the story of our season has always been coming from behind,” Cap head coach Mauricio Rodriguez said. “Some of our best games, we’ve been down 1-0 and we’ve always been able to bounce back. … The boys just don’t give up.”

Entering the season, Cap (10-6-3 overall) had only ever celebrated one CCS playoff victory, a first-round win over Yerba Buena in the Division II bracket in 2006. With the Mustangs’ playoff opener this season — a 2-1 win over Cristo Rey-San Jose — coming in a quarterfinal round, Wednesday’s matchup was the first time the Mustangs had ever reached the CCS semifinals.

With Rodriguez in his first year at the helm, Cap succeeded in putting itself back on the map in the Peninsula Athletic League. Its PAL Ocean Division championship was the program’s first division title since 2002. The program, however, still has yet to ever reach a CCS championship game.

“It was a lot of heartbreak,” Capuchino junior Diego Alvarado said. “Especially for me. We wanted to go all the way. I feel like we could have done it. For the rest of the team, I feel we weren’t OK with it. Nobody wanted to lose. But I feel like we dominated the game.”

Cap certainly outshot Leigh (13-4-4), gaining offensive momentum from the closing minutes of the first half. With the mighty Skyline wind in their faces through the opening half, the Mustangs ultimately succeeded in fronting attacks by playing across the field.

“Our main focus is to always pressure high and make sure we create triangles on different sides of the field,” Rodriguez said. “And when we started to notice they weren’t pressuring too much, we started to move the center line a little higher to make sure we could start attacking through the sides and create more through balls.”

Two attacks late in the half resulted in a corner kick in the 40th minute, that saw David Garcia play the ball in right in front of him to Edgar Munoz. After Munoz turned and saw a sea of green in front of the goal, he flighted a pass in to Fernando Nungary, who connected on a header but missed wide.

Therein was the theme of Cap’s offensive woes — plenty of punches, but none landed.

“I think up to that we were playing a great game,” Alvarado said. “… I think we could have taken it all the way. We got unlucky up top. We couldn’t really put any in. And then we just had that one break that we couldn’t stop. Usually we stop them but, hey, stuff happens.”

Then, in the second half, Leigh made one key tactical adjustment. Midway through the half, Paoli shifted from midfield to the front line. Senior David Han checked in and assumed the midfield spot, and he immediately blitzed through the middle tier to get the Cap defense on its heels.

Han made one inspired run up the south sideline, dancing past several defenders to put the ball forward. Cap momentarily gained possession, but Han stole it right back, charged for the goal to get a great 1-on-1 look only to misfire wide right.

Two minutes later, Han received the ball, again around midfield, This time he sent it up to Paoli, who took possession in stride with just one Cap defender, middle back Erik Castro, between him and the goalkeeper. Castro then lost his footing and tumbled backward, forcing the goalie out of the cage. Paoli’s attempt looked like a sure thing, but even then the Cap keeper got a hand on it. The shot had too much pepper on it, though, and ultimately spiraled inside the left post for the game’s only score. 

“Right after that switch, [Han] got the ball and was able to release it up top to Paoli,” Leigh head coach Thomas Murdick said. “So, about one minute after the switch, we were able to get the goal in, which ended up being the decision in the game.”

Alvarado, playing Cap’s other middle back, couldn’t get back in time to support the back line.

“When I tried to step up and cut the ball off early, it didn’t work,” Alvarado said. “And I wasn’t able to get back fast enough. … Props to [Castro], he kept fighting for it.”

Cap fired right back, with Jose Chavolla taking aim from up top 20 yards out, and shooting a laser high on the cage. Syrel, though, made a perfectly timed leap to knock it over the crossbar.

Two late corner kicks went wayward for the Mustangs as well. Their other best chance came in the 75th minute when Josh Atkinson wore a foul out on the wing. Atkinson took the free kick from 30 yards out, and sent it in to a crowd. Cap hollered that Leigh had committed a handball violation in the box, but none was called and the ball was cleared without spectacle.

With a strong contingent of junior players, Cap now looks to a promising future. Rodriguez said the team hopes to forgo a promotion to the PAL Bay Division next year, despite winning the Ocean title. Rodriguez said he would like to continue to build the program, and possibly see a promotion to the Bay Division in two years.

“The core of the team is going to be here next year,” Rodriguez said. “So, it’s tough because the seniors that are leaving played a big role this year. But I think the bar is set pretty high for those who are coming.”