WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The Westlake and Newbury Park boys soccer teams were neck and neck at two goals apiece Wednesday night in their Marmonte League game.
With 20 minutes left on the clock and the score tied, it looked as if the contest would end that way.
Newbury Park’s Elvis Tomasello made sure that didn’t happen.
The junior defender scored the go-ahead goal that led Newbury Park to a 4-2 victory over Westlake.
It was the second straight victory for Newbury Park (6-3-1 overall, 2-0 league) after going winless in its four previous games. It was only the second loss of the season for Westlake (10-2, 1-1).
“I feel like we’re on top, and we need to stay there,” Newbury Park coach Eric Sanford said. “That’s what the message was to the team.”
The Panthers went on top early with a tap-in from senior forward Leonard Halpern, but Tomasello’s deadlock-breaking goal is what kept them there.
With the score tied 2-2, Newbury Park found itself in a familiar spot next to the corner flag. As both teams battled for the ball after the kick, a deflection bounced the ball outside the box and into Tomasello’s path.
At the apex of power and precision, he struck the ball on a volley, sailing it over the goalkeeper and into the top left corner. When the ball swooshed through, Tomasello went wheeling in celebration, as did his teammates.
It was the team’s second point from the corner flag Wednesday night.
In the first half, another Newbury Park corner resulted in a headed goal from senior defender Ben Allen. He used his physical advantage to leap above his defender, tucking the ball into the near post.
Sanford said that set-pieces and corners have always been a key method of victory for his teams.
“I’ve been coaching high school soccer going on 16-17 years now,” Sanford said. “I’ve seen lesser teams just dominate because they can get the corner and control the game. Play the corners, win the game.”
On Tomasello’s goal, Sanford said it was all part of the game plan. Tomasello is one of his “trash men,” responsible for cleaning up the ball after a corner kick. The junior performed this role to perfection against Westlake, which hadn’t lost since a 1-0 setback against Moorpark on Dec. 7.
In the game’s final minutes, a Panthers counter-attack allowed Halpern to notch his second goal of the night, as he dribbled past the defender and slotted the ball in, causing his team to rush the field.
The celebration after the Panthers’ fourth goal of the night emphasized the value of the victory to Newbury Park.
For Sanford, every win in Warrior Stadium is special.
“Anytime Newbury Park steps on this Westlake field, they underestimate us,” Sanford said. “We always end up having a really good performance.”
For Westlake, the loss was the first bump in the road on what has otherwise been a great run. The loss snapped a five-game win streak.
After Newbury Park took a 2-1 lead on Allen’s goal, Westlake scored seconds after kickoff. Senior Ivan Seimandi dribbled past the defense and sent the shot home.
With four goals scored in the first 30 minutes of play, the match marked a physical and hyper-competitive contest, filled with flare and celebrations.
Both teams have games Friday at 7 p.m.: Newbury Park at Thousand Oaks and Westlake at Oaks Christian.