First-half goals doom Patterson boys soccer in section title game
Playoff soccer is all about the little things.
Tuesday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game against Vista del Lago, a usually crisp, free-flowing, detail-oriented Patterson team didn’t have them.
The Eagles scored two first-half goals and then went on the defensive, shutting out the Tigers (19-1-1, 12-0), who went into the matchup averaging three goals per game.
In an upset over the top-seeded Tigers, third seed Vista del Lago captured the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title 2-0, its first championship since three-peating in Division IV in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
“They executed,” said Patterson coach Luis Torres. “Vista del Lago executed, and we didn’t. Now, we understand that once you get this far, you gotta stick to the plan and execute your shots. It’s about the little things.”
The Eagles (16-4-3, 5-1-2) scored their goals about three minutes apart.
First, a shot from the right side of the box that slid into the back of the net. Then, a booming diagonal pass that traveled more than 30 yards in the air and found a streaking William Wong, who scored.
Nothing out of the ordinary for the Eagles, and Patterson knew it.
“We literally ran the same play that they do in practice,” Torres said. “We went over their play but we didn’t (defend) it 100% tonight. They scored exactly how they do it, the same as their other goals they scored on other teams and we went over it.”
With 27 minutes left in the first half, Patterson saw itself down 0-2. It had come back from slow starts before, most recently in the section semifinals, but couldn’t pull out one final comeback.
The Eagles shut down Patterson’s normally dynamic offense with a level of physicality and skill that the Tigers haven’t seen all season.
“They were very, very organized and it was hard to beat them in behind,” Torres said. “Against other teams, we were able to beat them in behind, but this team was very well organized.
“This far into the season, you have the best teams, and this was one of the best teams that we faced so far. It was hard to (score) in 40 minutes, because they had the two-goal advantage by the second half.”
Despite going undefeated through 20 games, Patterson’s one loss came at the worst time. After the final whistle, Torres had to remind his players that their season isn’t over.
The two finalists advance to the NorCal state tournament, so they will have the chance to redeem themselves in the chase for a NorCal title.
In their first section title game appearance since 2009, when they won the Division V championship 3-1 over Hilmar, Torres is hoping this can serve as a learning experience.
“I told them, ‘Take this game to humble you guys,’” Torres said. “We needed this to keep us humble, to make sure that we understand that we’re not the best team.
“The record doesn’t mean anything at the end of the day. We were undefeated and we got this far and then they gave us an L, so now we have to bounce back.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 9:36 AM.
