The ball fell to the feet of junior midfielder Cyrus Shafie about 25 yards from goal. He’s taken this shot countless times before, whether in practice or in a game, but this was different: extra time in the semifinals of the NorCal Division II playoffs. Shafie looked up and sent a powerful first-time shot into the top left corner of the goal to give the Spartans a 2-1 victory over Clayton Valley Charter. As the golden goal rule states for NorCal playoffs, any goal in overtime ends the game.
“I just thought, might as well take a shot,” Shafie said. “One goal is all we need, and I guess I hit it perfectly.”
With the win, the MVHS boys soccer team advances to the NorCal state final for the first time in school history and sets a new school record for wins in a season with 19.
“Everyone worked hard, especially towards the end,” head coach Jim McGuirk said. “We still kept going a lot harder than we usually do, and we ended up pulling out a win.”
The game was closely contested as the only two goals scored in regulation were penalty kicks. Shafie scored MVHS’s in the first half with a chip down the middle while Clayton Valley Charter scored theirs about ten minutes into the second half.
“At this point in the season, everyone we play is good,” McGuirk said. “You can probably play this team 10 times and you probably go [5-5].”
The Spartans match up against Cardinal Newman in the final. McGuirk said he anticipates a good game.
“This means a lot to everyone, our seniors, everyone getting one last chance to play in something really big, especially with the way we went out in CCS,” McGuirk said. “But we get a game to bounce back.”
