For the first time in Valley Christian boy’s varsity soccer history, the Warriors advanced out of the first round of the Homestead Christmas Cup.  The round of 16 was no small task, pitting VC against defending CCS Division I champions, Gilroy, in Gilroy.

The game got off to an unfortunate start when Gilroy opened the scoring in the game’s 4^th minute.  VC goalkeeper Austin Mansker made a great save on the initial shot, but Gilroy did a great job following up and tapped it home. 1-0 Gilroy.

A video of Austin's incredible save can be seen here:

Slow motion

Regular speed

Gilroy played very compact and was highly skilled on the ball, presenting a very strong challenge for the Warriors.  Mansker made several key saves, and kept the game close.  At halftime, the score was 1-0.

The Warriors came out in the second half intent on leveling the score.  In the 48^th minute, however, Gilroy would double their lead on a fantastic header, narrowly beating Mansker. 2-0 Gilroy.

VC would continue to press forward, trying to get back in the game.  A few near misses by Kevin Tarangioli, and Trevor Plug left the Warriors scoreless.

“We had a few chances there.  When we were playing with confidence, we showed what we could do out there.  I’m proud of the way the guys never gave up.  I thought Trevor had that goal, it was a great buildup.” Basanese said.

Kyle Grayson, a second half sub for the cramping Danny Hittler had this to say.

“It was challenging defending those forwards, they were pretty good.  I just stuck with it and didn’t give up,” Grayson said.

The game would end 3-0 after another nice header goal from point blank range off of a corner kick.  Still the coach took away some positives.

“I still feel like we are doing some good things.  We’re obviously playing some pretty good competition, but that’s how it is in this program, we don’t get a break.  If it’s not Gilroy, it’s Mitty, or Bell, or St. Francis.  I think it’s good for us in building this program.  We’ll get back and prepare for Sunnyside now.” Basanese concluded.

Assistant coach David Fugate had this to say about today’s performance.

“I thought we played very well, and Gilroy is a fantastic team.  We played them the best we could. I love Robert Norman and what he brings to the defense.”

The Warriors will play Sunnyside from Fresno this Thursday at 2pm.  Come out and support the team at home before the break!

Special thanks to Mr. Basanese who braved the cold weather and poor lighting conditions to take photos. They can be found here.