Colts continue playoff run

“Just proud of the guys,” said Cañada head coach Erik Gaspar. “They battled. It’s always hard to be a team twice in one season.”

And in a tale common in the game of soccer, it was fifth-seeded Cañada (13-2-6) that took advantage of its opportunities, while 13th-seeded Skyline (13-5-5) could not. And it was a sequence midway through the first half that perfectly illustrated that.

In the 18th minute, the referee blew his whistle as a player from each team went hard into each other for control of the ball. The referee initially signaled a free kick for the Colts, but shortly thereafter reversed it, giving the Trojans a set piece from 40 yards out. A cross was sent the far left side of the Cañada penalty box where it was headed on frame.

Colts goaltender Luis Evangelista looked to get a hand on it and push it off the post, but Skyline could not convert the rebound.

Then, in the 24th minute, the Colts got a rebound and putback for a 1-0 lead. The sequence was started when Damian Samano Ocampo was taken down at the top of the Skyline penalty box. Dylan Antunovich stepped into the free kick and got a shot on goal that was stopped by Skyline goalkeeper Matias Kramer.

But he gave up a rebound and Chris Lopez, who helped lead Hillsdale to the Central Coast Section Division II title last season, was there to corral the rebound and put it in the back of the net.

“It’s a game of moments and we were better in our moments,” Gaspar said.

The Colts weren’t done as they added a second goal five minutes later. Intercepting a clearing pass in the Trojans’ end, the Colts worked the ball into the attacking third before finding an unmarked Josh Ramos at the top of the penalty box, who hit a hard shot low into the left corner to put the Colts up 2-0, a lead they held at halftime.

Despite the deficit, Skyline head coach Gabe Saucedo thought he team played well.

“We started strong, but they got the better of the second balls,” Saucedo said. “We just missed on follows.

“Set pieces can decide games.”

Skyline tried to up the pressure on the second half and had a chance to get back in the game in the opening minutes, but Subaru Thompson’s shot from the top of the penalty box took a deflection and then hit the crossbar. The ball dropped right to the foot of Juan Contreras, but he shot the rebound well over the top of the goal.

The Colts then iced the game in the 53rd minute when Antunovich latched onto a perfect through ball and slotted it past the goalkeeper for a 3-0 lead.

Skyline did earn five corner kicks in the half, and eight for the game, but could not do anything with them.

“Our tired legs started show in the second half,” Saucedo said. “We played three games in seven days. We’ve never done that.”

Tuesday’s win was much more uneventful for Cañada than Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup against No. 12 Feather River. Not only did the Colts need penalty kicks to outlast Feather River, they had to do it over the course of two days. The game was postponed Saturday because of darkness with eight minutes left in the second mandatory overtime period.

So Feather River, from the Northern California mountain town of Quincy, had to scramble for overnight accommodations before returning to the field Sunday morning for the final eight minutes of overtime and penalty kicks — which Cañada won, 4-3.

And now, the Colts will get one more home game. They will host No. 9 Fresno (13-3-8) Saturday at a time to be determined. The Rams knocked off No. 1 Santa Rosa (17-2-3), 2-1, in another quarterfinal game.

A win over Fresno would send Cañada to the state final four for the second year in a row. The two Nor Cal and two So Cal finalists will meet at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo Dec. 5, with the championship game scheduled for Dec. 7.