Live Oak, Sobrato battle to scoreless tie in latest El Toro
thriller
MORGAN HILL — Neither side triumphed in the latest boys-soccer thriller between Live Oak and Sobrato, but one team was certain it made progress at the Outdoor Sports Center.
Coach Tony Goble’s Acorns can almost taste victory No. 1.
They were a few key passes from clinching it Thursday but could not find the finishing touch when they needed it most. Live Oak (0-2-2 overall) outshot the visiting Bulldogs 13-6.
“The guys played a great game, and I told them that right away,” Goble said after the scoreless nonleague match. “They know they’re right there. We had plenty of chances to score today, and, though we didn’t, they should be proud. We battled the whole way.”
The Acorns outhustled Sobrato (1-0-2) in the first half, keeping play on the Bulldogs’ side of the field for most of the opening 20 minutes. Live Oak forwards Dylan Frechette, Ubaldo Lopez and Richard Curti of Brazil chased down several through passes and loose balls, but Sobrato’s backline limited crossing opportunities.
The Acorns missed the net on five shots from inside 20 yards in the first half.
“We needed to finish,” Curti said. “We’re not really disappointed, but we feel we should have won.”
Frechette almost had a 1-on-1 shot with Sobrato goalkeeper Ramsey Ghamrawi in the 13th minute. Frechette outdueled Bulldogs defenseman Kimanni Shannon for a through pass at the backline, but was called for a foul.
“Kimanni and the defenders did well today. They had a lot of pressure,” said Sobrato coach Ricardo Martinez, whose team won both league matches against Live Oak last winter. “But we need them to communicate more.
“(The Acorns) were playing a lot harder than us. Our effort was disappointing. I thought we were going to come out with a lot more intensity.”
Led by senior midfielder Jovani Franco, who Martinez said “gave 110 percent,” the Bulldogs came out stronger in the second half and began slowing Live Oak’s attack. Sobrato was in good position to score twice in the final 20 minutes.
In the 72nd minute, Shannon took a short corner kick from teammate Miles Mammen and crossed the ball into a traffic jam in front of the net. Goalkeeper Dalton VandenBrandhorninge, who switched with Eric Saavedra for the second half, gloved it to end the threat.
Five minutes later, Sobrato forward Austin Jackson brought life back into the grandstand when he headed the ball away from Ben Hartl and dribbled 25 yards toward the net. Jackson passed right to Simon Schmidt, whose sharp-angled shot hit the side of the net.
“We played pretty well in the second half, but we could have done better in the first,” Jackson said. “We settled down and were able to pass better and win loose balls. A goal would have been nice.”
Saavedra and VandenBrandhorninge made two saves apiece, and Ghamrawi had three.
