| The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL) game was played at Depot Field in Santa Cruz under clear skies and dry field conditions. Santa Cruz had 3 wins and 0 loses in league while Scotts Valley had 2 wins and 1 loss. The game was a battle for first place in the SCCAL. Santa Cruz has a balanced team of young talented players and experienced senior leadership. The game started with Santa Cruz playing aggressively. Santa Cruz used solid crisp passing while mounting their initial attack. Santa Cruz scored in the 1st minute of play when senior Cesar Aguilar scored a goal after an assist from freshman John Chronopoulos. Santa Cruz controlled the ball and again scored a goal when freshman John Chronopoulos scored in the 13th minute after receiving a pass from freshman Slater Meehan. Santa Cruz had 7 shots on goal the first half while Scotts Valley only had 1 shot on goal. The score at half time was - Santa Cruz 2 to Scotts Valley 0. The second half started out with a hard fought battle by both teams. Santa Cruz had a relentless attack on the Scotts Valley goal. Santa Cruz scored a goal in the 75th minute when Cesar Aguilar again scored after receiving passes from senior captain Trevor Ross and freshman John Chronopoulos. Santa Cruz had 8 shots on goal the second half while Scotts Valley put 2 shots on goal. The game ended with the score - Santa Cruz 3 to Scotts Valley 0. Senior captain, goalkeeper Kevin Halasz had 3 goalie saves during the game. Kevin Halasz was an awesome presence in the goal because of his size. fearless attitude, skills and athletic ability. Halasz is constantly talking with his teammates and directing them to their positioning. The Santa Cruz defense included senior captain Trevor Ross (sweeper), freshman Slater Meehan (FB), freshman Tanner Akol (FB) and junior Diego Pio (stopper). The defense had an excellent game controlling and countering the Scotts Valley attack and preventing shots on their goal. The defense is in constant communication and are working with each other to counter an attack. The defense has been fantastic at settling the ball, stretching the field, building the play and initiating the offensive attack. The Santa Cruz midfielders also had a superb game controlling the ball and mounting the attack with the forwards. The midfielders included senior Shakaim Redrovan, senior Gerardo Hernandez, junior Felipe Camberos, junior Filimon Richardson and sophomore Ethan Gomez. The Santa Cruz forwards put constant pressure on the goal with their speed and skills. The forwards were senior Cesar Aguilar and freshman John Chronopoulos who had a dramatic impact on why Santa Cruz won this game. |