CA - SCVAL Boys Soccer: Hotly Contested match in Los Gatos

It started off as a cool 46 degrees, but the temperature on the field quickly rose as both sides played with intensity and purpose.  Although the Los Gatos Wildcats and the Palo Alto Vikings may not be shoo-ins for an automatic CCS (Central Coast Section) spot, both sides are gunning for an at-large bid.  Once the whistle blew, I knew I was in for a show.  The highly competitive SCVAL De Anza League fielded high-level club players on both rosters.    The Wildcats are now 7-6-1 overall as they won the match in the finals seconds.  The goal by <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/los-gatos/los-gatos-wildcats/athletes/trevor-ankaitis/?careerid=70les97hv4oh1">Trevor Ankaitis</a> brought the crowd to their feet.  It came at a great time or during an extended injury time, depending on your perspective.  Luckily, it is not for me to decide. Wildcats <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/los-gatos/los-gatos-wildcats/athletes/keegan-mctighe/?careerid=p5bdp3odtmdsc">Keegan Mctighe</a> seemed to have scored the opening goal eight minutes prior, but the head referee consulted with one of his AR's and made the decision To rescind the goal.  It seemed as if the angle of the shot hit right behind the far pole while striking a supporting bar, which might have caused the ball to ricochet out.  Either way, the refs needed about 5-6 minutes to make a final decision.     The temperatures flared up and it got players and coaches scorching hot.  Eventually the game restarted and Los Gatos turned up their attack and got their winning goal from the same attacking side.  It was definitely one of the most exciting matches I've covered this season and I hope both teams land a spot in the tournament as they demonstrated the ability to compete at a high level.  The Vikings are now 9-4-4 on the season with four more matches to go.  Overall, this game was also highlighted by superb goalkeeper skills.  Both GK's kept at least 3-4 goals off the board.  Leon Sarashki of Los Gatos and <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/palo-alto/palo-alto-vikings/athletes/jacob-kinsky/?careerid=qcm3f26onku00">Jacob Kinsky</a> of Palo Alto put on a goalkeeping clinic last night.   Next up for HC Joel Fumia and the Wildcats is to also win their last 4 games and sneak in the dance.  As for HC Luiz Lodino and the Vikings, their road to postseason play might not be as difficult.  There's just too much talent on their side to not get in.    The leading scorer on his team. He played as a striker and had a few good runs on goal. Made quick and decisive passes to players making diagonal runs. Opposing players would instantly collapse on him once he got possession. He is very quick on the ball and finds running lanes to break down the defense. Some of his other key moments was regaining possession and high pressing the defense to create scoring opportunities. He plays club soccer for [program_tooltip program_id='280274' first='De' last='Anza Force'].     One of the fastest players on the field. He has breakaway speed and ran by his defenders a few times. He seemed to have scored the opening goal, but the head referee consulted with one of his AR's and made the decision To rescind the goal.  It seemed as if the angle of the shot hit right behind the far pole while striking a supporting bar, which might have caused the ball to ricochet. He also has a good touch and made a few with precise passes to other overlapping forwards. He plays club soccer for MVLA.     Played in the RB and Midfield position. He is a good box to box midfielder. Cutting off passing lanes and battling for possession was where he shined. He was good at anticipating runs through the center and made 50/50 challenges. His playing off the ball allowed him to draw defenders out of position and create running lanes for his speedy forwards. He plays club soccer for Los Gatos United SC.     Had one of the best shot-stopping performances I've seen in awhile. He kept at least 4 scores of the board and single handedly shut down a high-powered offense. He went up high to deflect and pull down quality shots and crosses. He showed his skills diving at low hard shots. His best moment was stopping a point blank shot from about 2-yards away and followed up with a second consecutive ripping shot. He has a huge presence in the goal and made it difficult for his opponents to get on the board.       Has great size and plays smart. He doesn't take unnecessary risks and can play a physical game when needed. Won 50/50 aerial challenges and was good at anticipating overlapping runs. He played the LB position the way it should be played. He showed his quick and decisive passes to start counter attacks. He kept the speedy forwards in check for most of the match and disrupted a few runs outside of the 18-yard box. He plays club soccer for Palo Alto SC.     He played as a RB and Defensive Mid. Has great ball control and makes precise passes. His soccer IQ is very high and he seems to know all the open spots and find players slipping through lanes. He was good at transitioning from his defensive third to create quick passing movements from end to end. One of the moments that sticks out was when he was dribbling the ball towards the touchline and then he made a quick change of direction to shake off his defender. He plays club soccer for Stanford Strikers ECNL - RL.     Made some quick and decisive passes to get his wingers into scoring range. He was tasked with disrupting the very fast forwards and pushed them out towards the channels. It was difficult for the attacker to slip passes through the middle. He has a good feel for the game and moved off the ball to get his players in to scoring range. If it was not for the shot-stopping ability of their opponents GK, he probably would have had an assist or two. He plays club soccer for Palo Alto SC.     He played a solid match and made at least 3 key saves. His punching of the ball to clear it over the crossbar was a sight to see. The majority of the goalkeepers wouldn't have been able to stop the shots he saved. His diving saves helped his team to keep the Wildcats off the board. It was just unlucky for them to give up a goal in the final seconds of the match. Overall, great awareness and good timing in going out for challenges.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887535341332275526 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887382954869203125 </div></figure>   <a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887380105498140980">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887380105498140980</a>   <a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887353987722002761">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1887353987722002761</a>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892981725791179019 </div></figure>

It started off as a cool 46 degrees, but the temperature on the field quickly rose as both sides played with intensity and purpose. Although the Los Gatos Wildcats and the Palo Alto Vikings may not be shoo-ins for an automatic CCS (Central Coast Section) spot, both sides are gunning for an at-large bid. Once the whistle blew, I knew I was in for a show. The highly competitive SCVAL De Anza League fielded high-level club players on both rosters.