SAN JOSE — In its first match since capturing the Central Coast Section Division I boys soccer championship last weekend, Archbishop Mitty came out with a lot of fuel in its step on Tuesday for its first-round regional match.
The Monarchs had one opportunity after another in the first 15 minutes but none of their shots found the back of the net.
Then, in the 19th minute, McClatchy’s Nathanial Ochoa scored off a deflection.
Mitty was suddenly behind.
“It was frustrating,” senior Manuel Portillo said. “But we knew we could get back. We were playing good. We have had some really tough games recently. We knew we’d get it back together after that.”
The Monarchs regrouped and soon the scoreboard started changing numbers in their favor.
Mitty scored three goals before the halftime whistle to take a two-goal advantage and then held off a determined team from the Sac-Joaquin Section to win 3-2.
It was the Monarchs’ first NorCal Division I victory in program history and sent the second-seeded San Jose school into the semifinals on Thursday at home against sixth-seeded Mountain View or third-seeded Clovis North.
Guiseppe Sigala evened the score in the 28th minute with strike to the far side of the goal. The ball hit the post and went in.
It didn’t stay tied for long.
In the 38th minute, Sigala delivered a clean crossing pass to Portillo, who took a split second to control the ball before kicking the ball past the goalkeeper.
A few minutes later, Portillo was back at it again.
This time, his shot hit off the post and caromed back his way, setting up another strike past the goalkeeper.
“They were both basically the same play,” Portillo said about his two goals. “We made a few passes down the middle, shifted them a little bit, got it to one side and I was open on the other. I had a simple finish back post on both of them. The second one was a little bit more difficult. I hit the post, but I was able to get the rebound.”
Despite the sudden two-goal deficit, McClatchy (21-6-5) did not make it easy for Mitty (18-2-4) in the second half.
Darwin Mendiola scored in the 51st minute to cut the deficit to one, giving the Sacramento school life to keep pushing until time finally ran out.
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Mitty coach Cesar Sanchez said his team’s two goals just before halftime were crucial, not just because they provided a cushion but because of when they happened.
“The timing was very key,” Sanchez said. “Now you’re going into halftime saying, ‘OK, we’ve recovered, even though we had that bad little slip-up and they got the goal.’ They’re a good team. They were very threatful on the long throw and very threatful on that counter down the middle. Everyone is good now.
“They didn’t give up. Even when we got up 3-1, they got back 3-2 and it was like, ‘Oh, my God, here we go. We’re not going to get a break.’”
But the Monarchs held on and will have at least one more match.