Not looking ahead to Thursday’s showdown with Sobrato, Live Oak
on Tuesday earned a 1-1 draw with Willow Glen
SAN JOSE — Not looking ahead to Thursday’s showdown with Sobrato, Live Oak on Tuesday earned a 1-1 draw with Willow Glen in a Blossom Valley Athletic League-Santa Teresa Division contest that could have gone either way for the Acorns.
Following a scoreless first half, visiting Live Oak (5-2-2 overall, 2-0-1 BVAL) went ahead 15 minutes into the second with Dylan Frechette’s goal off a pass from Jacob Montoya.
Frechette’s score had a boomerang effect. The undefeated Rams (5-0-3, 2-0-1) netted the equalizer shortly after — and came close to stealing a win during a relentless final 25-minutes.
“We dodged a bullet,” Acorns coach Tony Goble said. “We outplayed them in the first half, but it was zero-zero. We came out and scored in the second and went flat. They took it to us and probably could have scored a couple more times.”
Live Oak goalkeeper Eric Saavedra made a half-dozen saves late in the game to preserve the tie.
“We needed those,” said Goble, whose Acorns were playing for the first time in nearly three weeks. “Coming off the (holiday) break, you could tell we were rusty. We played okay. We didn’t play as well as a team — and we emphasize that. That’s the most important part of us.”
Goble said his team should be back to form by Thursday, when the Acorns host rival Sobrato in the first of two league meetings this year.
“We’re, hopefully, going to treat it like any other game,” Goble said. “I told our guys that’s all it is, but it’s going to be big.”
