The score was 1-1 with two minutes left. With a game remaining, the Spartans needed to win to clinch the league title. Junior midfielder Cyrus Shafie whipped a cross toward the back post, connecting with senior forward Caleb Toney. Toney flicked it towards senior midfielder Arhant Shroff, who had made a late run into the box. Shroff looked up and sent a powerful shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, giving the Spartans a late 2-1 goal advantage, and with it, the league title.
“It was really exciting just being able to score and help us win,” Shroff said. “Making a contribution at the last minute… was probably one of the best moments of soccer in my life.”
This game was also senior night, which made the moment even more powerful for Shroff.
“It’s such a big game getting to play with all the guys I grew up in high school with,” Shroff said. “I played my entire high school career with all these other guys, and being able to win with them was just super fun.”
The game was close throughout as neither team was able to keep possession of the ball for more than a few minutes at a time. In the 25th minute, Toney headed the ball into the back of the net off of a Shafie corner. However, less than ten minutes later, a Santa Clara player cut onto his left foot at the top of the box and curled a shot past senior goalkeeper Parker Lunn.
Coming out of halftime, the energy of the game was high as both teams were going in and making strong tackles.
About 25 minutes into the second half, a scramble for a loose ball in the box resulted in an MVHS penalty kick. Toney stepped up to take it but shot it over the crossbar, and the game remained tied.
With two minutes left in the game, the ball fell for Shroff on top of the box, who needed to score to clinch a league title. He did.
The team plays away at Los Altos on Feb. 18. The Eagles currently sit second in the league, meaning that a win or a draw guarantees the Spartans an outright league championship. A loss would result in a co-championship.
Regardless, head coach Jim McGuirk and Shroff have their eyes set on the future: CCS.
“I think just taking this momentum into CCS, I think we can definitely go far with this kind of attitude,” Shroff said.
