Not only did the Menlo-Atherton boys’ soccer team pick up its first-ever Central Coast Section Open Division win, the Bears did it in stunning fashion.
Seeded No. 8 in the eight-team field, M-A and No. 1 seed Sacred Heart Cathedral ended regulation tied 4-all and ended two, 10-minute periods of overtime tied at 5-5.
Will Demirkol
Jose Bailon’s goal in penalty kicks proved to be the difference as the Bears beat the Irish 5-4 in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.
“It was unbelievable,” M-A head coach Leo Krupnik said. “I played four years collegiately and 14 years professionally. I’ve never seen anything like this. It was one of the best high school games I’ve ever seen. Both teams played excellent.”
The semifinals will be a battle for Atherton bragging rights as the Bears will make a short road trip to take on Sacred Heart Prep after the fourth-seeded Gators knocked off No. 5 Mountain View, 4-1. The Bears and Gators will meet Tuesday at 3 p.m. for a spot in the Open Division finals.
Twice M-A (10-5-5) rallied from a goal down, only to see SHC (14-4-3) accomplish the same feat. M-A was down 1-0 and 2-1, but the score was tied at 2-all at halftime before the Bears took their first lead in the second half.
The game went to another level over the last 15 minutes of regulation as the two teams combined for three goals. Krupnik said the Irish tied the score a 3-all before Will Demirkol, who scored M-A’s first two goals, scored his third goal of the game to put the Bears back up 4-3. But SHC responded again, scoring on a free kick in stoppage time to send the game into overtime.
Demirkol scored his fourth goal early in the first 10-minute overtime period and the Bears were moments away from winning the game when they were called for a foul in the penalty box. Krupnik said the referee cleared the field except for the M-A goalkeeper and SHC penalty kick taker. Make or miss, it was going to be the last kick of overtime.
The Irish converted and the game went to penalty kicks. Both teams made their first four penalties before the Irish sent one sailing over the top. That brought up Bailon, who was called for the foul that resulted in the game-tying penalty for the Irish.
He atoned for that mistake by scoring the game-winning penalty.
“I'm still shaking from the game,” Krupnik said hours afterward. “Even if we didn’t win the game, I would have been super proud of the guys. All the years I’ve played, over 30 years of playing soccer, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
In SHP’s win, Liam Johnson, Tristan Mischaereeds, Alexi Stavropoulos and Ethan Beghte each found the back of the net to advance.
In Division I action, No. 5 San Mateo (15-3-1) saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end at the wrong time as No. 4 Gunn (16-1-2) ended the Bearcats’ season with a 3-1 victory. Both Carlmont (9-6-5), the No. 3 seed, and fourth-seeded Burlingame (9-7-4) saw their seasons finished as well in the Division II. The Scots fell 2-0 to No. 6 Mt. Pleasant, while No. 5 Wilcox knocked off the Panthers, 1-0.
Division III, No. 1 seed Menlo School (15-2-4), cruised into the semifinals with a 4-0 win over No. 8 Pajaro Valley. Ilan Listgarten, Christian Corcoran, Aaron Morgan and Jackson Aldrich all scored for the Knights, who will host No. 4 St. Francis Tuesday at 3 p.m. in a semifinal match. The Lancers topped No. 5 Soquel, 2-1.
In Division IV, top-seeded Summit Prep kept its perfect record intact as the Huskies easily got past No. 8 Yerba Buena, 4-0. Summit Prep (17-0-0) will take on No. 4 King City at a time and place to be determined. The Aztec Warriors beat Latino College Prep, 2-0.
Sports Editor
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