Former Acorns from the past decade arrived en masse to take on
the Live Oak High varsity boys soccer team in the annual Alumni
soccer match on Friday. With bragging rights at stake, it was the
younger generation that walked away on top, pounding their
predecessors 4-1.
Former Acorns from the past decade arrived en masse to take on the Live Oak High varsity boys soccer team in the annual Alumni soccer match on Friday.
With bragging rights at stake, it was the younger generation that walked away on top, pounding their predecessors 4-1.
Live Oak coach Tony Goble said the match would go on rain or shine and it did.
The game was played on the last resort soccer field with Goble wishing to preserve the turf on his primary soccer field and the football field.
If the field conditions for Friday’s match were any indication, Goble made a good decision.
Mud was everywhere.
On one end of the field, a lake formed from the week of rain Morgan Hill had absorbed. Players struggled to attack with the ball simply stopping when it hit the water.
Just off the field, the parking lot next to the football snack shack was completely flooded, providing entertainment to several youngsters who adorned their rain boots and went splashing around – at times in water up to their knees.
The sparse crowed that showed up took the time to cheer on their player and greet some old friends.
Former teammates shared stories and a laugh, but were still focused on showing the younger players what they could do.
The game was close in the beginning with neither team scoring until the waning minutes of the first half. Then, in quick succession, both teams scored to take a 1-1 game into the break.
But the varsity squad did not allow the game to stay close after halftime.
Alumni goalkeeper Nick Rauschnot, who graduated just last year, could do little against the Acorn varsity’s onslaught and allowed three goals go by him before he was finally relieved.
“I am just a little rusty,” said the former Acorn who now attends California State University, Monterey Bay.
But teammate Kris Mott took some of the blame off Rauschnot by claiming it was a weak Alumni defense that allowed the goals to go in.
“All of our fast guys were out and we were like, oh shoot,” Mott said. “But props to the varsity team, they played awesome.”
Mott said he was a little disappointed with the outcome, but said he had a good time.
While the alumni were left with a sour taste in their mouths, the varsity players walked off the field still undefeated on the season.
“We had lots of fun,” said Hassan Abdullahi. “It was great to play against these guys we used to look up to.”
Coach Goble, the ref during the game, said about 20 alumni played in Friday’s contest, by far the most in the years he has coached.
As the ref, Goble was right in the middle of the action, which also allowed him to give a few pointers during the game.
But now all eyes are on the future. The Acorns start league play Jan. 12 when they travel to Salinas to face the Cowboys.
Goble said league will be a challenge with plenty of good teams, including Gilroy, which was runner-up last year in the CCS finals.
“The league this year is going to be tough,” Goble said.
As for the alumni players, all eyes are on next year’s Alumni game.
“There are (361) days left and counting down,” Mott said. “Hopefully next year we can school them; hopefully next year some of them will be on our team.”
LO girls soccer
Led by freshman Alayna Bongiorno, the Live Oak girls soccer team salvaged a little pride with a 4-2 victory over Dublin and a 0-0 tie against Notre Dame Belmont at the Tri-Valley Classic in Walnut Creek on Friday.
After receiving word that the first three games of the season would have to be forfeited because of an ineligible player, the short-handed Acorn girls promptly lost their first two matches of the tourney on Thursday.
But Bongiorno, playing for starting defender Jamie Hickey, led the charge on Friday, tallying a pair of goals off corner kicks against Dublin.
LO (1-6-1 overall) also got a goal from Michelle McDonald in the victory.
The Acorns were forced to forfeit the first three games of the season after it was discovered that they had used an ineligible player, transfer Jenny Carroll, whose documentation wasn’t turned in on time.
