Griffin Francisco Gonzalez (No. 9) cranks in the winning goal. Photos by Jonatan Muñoz, International School
Griffin boys shock unbeaten Co-operative, win 3-1
By Andre Candia
International School
The International junior varsity boys soccer team avenged two previous defeats, spoiled Co-operative’s perfect season, and won the league championship for itself by defeating the Jaguars 3-1 in a thrilling game Wednesday.
It wasn’t easy. The victory margin came late in the second half after the Jaguars had unleashed a fusillade of shots on the Griffin goal, one of which banged off the crossbar.
But all that just made the victory all the sweeter for a team that had only scored one goal against Co-operative in the teams' two previous meetings.
It may not have been a coincidence that in this game, for the first time this year, the Griffins were supported by a large, boisterous cheering section that out-shouted a larger-than-usual home crowd throughout the second half of the game, which was played at the Jaguars field.
By Andre Candia
International School
The International junior varsity boys soccer team avenged two previous defeats, spoiled Co-operative’s perfect season, and won the league championship for itself by defeating the Jaguars 3-1 in a thrilling game Wednesday.
It wasn’t easy. The victory margin came late in the second half after the Jaguars had unleashed a fusillade of shots on the Griffin goal, one of which banged off the crossbar.
But all that just made the victory all the sweeter for a team that had only scored one goal against Co-operative in the teams' two previous meetings.
It may not have been a coincidence that in this game, for the first time this year, the Griffins were supported by a large, boisterous cheering section that out-shouted a larger-than-usual home crowd throughout the second half of the game, which was played at the Jaguars field.
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PHOTO: One, two, three KICK! . . . Jaguar and Griffin Valere Leo vie for ball.
The game began with really tight play as the defenses of both International and Cooperative did a great job of not letting the strikers from the other side get to the goals. The match got really exciting as both goalkeepers made spectacular saves.
The game was still scoreless with only seconds remaining in the first half when a free kick was given to the International school and Harold Garay was assigned to kick it. Everybody thought Garay would shoot into the goal but instead he made an awesome shot that floated down to exactly the spot where Francisco Gonzalez was waiting. Gonzalez put the Griffins in the lead with a great header.
During halftime International Coach Andrew Dolson told his players that their defense would have to be solid, and that any mistake could be fatal. And so it was.
The Jaguars came out determined to tie the game, and did so on a play that started with a free kick The Griffins defense made a silly mistake and ended up putting the ball in its own goal.
As the game continued, both teams had various shots on goal, and both goalkeepers continued to shine in making stops. Small but fleet Jaguar seventh grader Santiago Paz not only knocked one off the crossbar, but also had other shots that just missed. Another Jaguar hit the side of the net with a near-miss. Griffin goalie Santiago Maldonado made a great save on a free kick by Jaguar Esteban Sauto that came in at a sharp angle.
With only minutes left a high, bounding kick resulted in a scramble in front of the Jaguar goal in which Jaguar goalie Camilo Avila lost possession of the ball as he fell down, injured. In the ensuing melee Gonzalez got control of the ball and scored his second goal to put the Griffins ahead, 2-1.
It was almost all over but the shouting when Garay put an exclamation point on the Griffin victory as he scored with a great long distance shot on the last play of the game. That made the score 3-1.
The outcome was a dramatic turn in a season in which it had appeared for a long time that the championship would be Co-operative’s for the asking. However, with great training, and with growing strength and spirit, the Griffins came on at the end to win the championship.
The triumph was a fitting going-away present for Coach Andrew Dolson, who will depart for the United States shortly.
The Griffin team also awarded their coach a big splash of ice-cold water to remember them by during an exuberant post game celebration.
The line-up for the now-champion Griffins was Santiago Rosado, Sergio Rosado, Valere Leo, Victor Wang, Eduardo Zuleta, Santiago Maldonado, Sebastian Justiniano, Francisco Gonzalez, Harold Garay, Maykol Villavicencio, Carlos Padilla, Eduardo Pantoja, Luis Quiroga.
For the Jaguars: Camilo Avila, Jose Gabriel Dabdoub, Andres Shin, Jonathan Pauker, Hyun Kim, Nicolas Handal, Juan Laguna, Nicolas Cronenbold, Esteban Sauto, Milan Marinkovic, Diego Chin, Francisco Roda, Santiago Paz, Jose Salvatierra, Manuel Navarro.
PHOTO: Griffin, Jaguar collide, while ball appears to escape both.
