In the end, the Live Oak High boys soccer team
’s talent and defensive prowess couldn’t make up for a lack of
offense. After all, you have to score at last once to be able to
win. That adage has never been more true than during the Acorn
boys’ 1-0 loss at Menlo-Atherton in the first round of the Central
Coast Section Division I playoffs on
Wednesday.
In the end, the Live Oak High boys soccer team’s talent and defensive prowess couldn’t make up for a lack of offense.
After all, you have to score at last once to be able to win.
That adage has never been more true than during the Acorn boys’ 1-0 loss at Menlo-Atherton in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs on Wednesday.
A paltry offensive attack and a single mistake on defense conspired to end the Live Oak season.
Locked in a scoreless tie at the half, Live Oak allowed a cross kick to float across the box unmarked and the Bears’ opposite side midfielder knocked in the winning goal just 15 minutes into the second half.
“We played very solid defense except for one mistake,” Live Oak coach Tony Goble said. “It was a big, big mistake but that’s the way it goes. They probably had more shots on goal than we did and they possessed the ball better but we had our chances. We had fewer shots but we had our chances to score. We held our own.”
Live Oak’s defense did manage to shut down talented Bears forward Javy Hill, a regional-level player who could play at the national level, using Tony Razouk.
“They had probably one of the best forwards in the state,” Goble said. “But Razouk marked him and he didn’t do anything.”
But the offense, hurt by the absence of injured Hussein Abdullahi, simply could-n’t take advantage of its chances.
“We just didn’t have an attack from midfield,” Goble said.
According to Goble, the loss capped a “most exhausting” season that saw several key injuries and a few disciplinary issues along the way.
But he said the Acorns reached their goal of making the playoffs this season, despite not being able to win the TCAL title, and will return seven starters next year.
“Knowing we had a pretty good group of kids, we wanted to make the playoffs and we did that. And, we’re fairly young.”
No. 13 Live Oak (13-6-3 overall) finished second in the Tri-County Athletic League to Gilroy, which won its first-round playoff game 2-0 over visiting Woodside.
No. 4 Menlo-Atherton also finished second in its league, the Peninsula Athletic League.
The PAL sent a total of four teams to the CCS playoffs, a fact not lost on Goble.
Live Oak will lose four seniors from this year’s team, including top scorer A.J. Battel, Trevor Kozacek, Miguel Ayala and goalie Nick Rauschnot.
Key returners include Hussein and Hassan Abdullahi, Razouk, Anthony Avalos, Garret Frechette, Nick Mott and Bryan and Michael Place.
