The MVHS boys soccer team closed up league play with a 1-0 away win over Los Altos on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
“This is what we’re hoping for for the entire season,” senior midfielder Niko Dekovic said. “We were just trying to win against our rivals.”
Los Altos started the match with a focus on attacking, as the Eagles needed a win for a share of the league title. However, the MVHS defense held strong. Head coach Jim McGuirk highlighted the play of senior goalkeeper Parker Lunn, who made multiple key saves to keep the Eagles off the score sheet.
“I felt like we were under pressure the first half,” McGuirk said. “But I think our defense kept us in the [match] and Parker [Lunn] made one big save too. You can always count on [Lunn] to do that.”
It was more of the same in the second half as neither team were able to effectively penetrate their opposition. Less than fifteen minutes into the period, senior forward Caleb Toney’s shot was blocked by an Eagle player on the goal line.
With about ten minutes left in the match, Dekovic received a through ball and calmly slotted it past the Los Altos goalkeeper. He celebrated with his teammates, lifting his shirt to reveal “For Josue” written on a white undershirt, a message of support for MVHS assistant coach Josue Aguilar who suffered a knee injury during practice.
Now holding a narrow one goal advantage, MVHS shifted to playing more conservatively, dropping back to prevent Los Altos from any clear scoring opportunities. The game ended 1-0 in favor of the Spartans.
With the win, MVHS officially sealed their bid for CCS. Their first game of the tournament is on Saturday, Feb 22 against Archbishop Mitty.
“We’re going on a nine game win streak. I think we’ve bounced back throughout the entire season, and I think we’re ready,” Dekovic said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re up against if we’re first or second in seeding, I think we’re ready for CCS.”
