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A Captain Returns, Warriors Beat St. Ignatius 1/12
Since his sophomore season, Tyler Seaman has been an integral part of
the Valley Christian varsity soccer team's defense. Before this,
his senior season, Tyler was named team captain.
An unfortunate injury would keep Tyler out for the first 12 games of the
season, a loss that the Warriors felt in multiple positions.
"Losing Tyler was a big deal for us. It forced us to play Wally
(John Walitsch) out of position, and of course we didn't have Tyler,"
Coach Basanese said.
Today would mark the return of Tyler to the starting lineup, a change
that would impact VC immediately.
The Warriors travelled to St. Ignatius to take on SI for the second time
this season. In the first matchup, SI defeated VC 2-0 at Valley
Christian. The weather was about as perfect as you'll see in San
Francisco this time of year with a clear sky and temperatures in the
60's.
The game started off with both teams challenging each other's goals.
In the 22nd minute the Warriors would break the tie with a great goal by
Jake Joseph.
After a nice buildup off a throw-in, Nick Reyes found Jake who calmly
settled the ball and hit a shot that found the far post side netting,
1-0 VC.
See the goal here.
The chances would continue for both teams, with George Fahmy narrowly
missing a great cross by Alex de Leon that would've added to the lead.
The game would go to half-time with VC leading 1-0. The coaches
were not ready to start playing defense quite yet, so the speech
included some urging to keep possession of the ball.
"We knew they would come out strong in the second half, but we wanted to
keep to our game plan which was working. It didn't really work out
that way for us, but we did what we needed to." Basanese said.
The VC defense was spectacular, holding SI to only 6 direct shots on
goal in the game. Austin Mansker easily handled all of them.
As the second half began, the Wildcats put relentless pressure forward,
but were unable to break down the Warrior defense to really create more
than one or two real opportunities to score.
"Our defense was great today," Coach David Fugate said following the
game. "I'm proud of the way my kids played back there. Having
Tyler back seemed to have a calming effect on all the kids, something we
really needed."
Joseph Rosa-Diniz also provided a spark on the outside mid, making
several dangerous runs, and calmly distributing the ball.
"Joe was great today" Coach Donny Fugate said. "We wanted him on the
field, and so we tried him there. I think you might see more of
him on the outside."
SI's Zander Mrlik provided the Wildcats with their best chances with his
abnormally long throw-ins. Mansker was up to the task though,
easily plucking them out of harm's way.
The final whistle would blow, and the game was finished. 1-0 VC in a
nail biter.
For Valley, this is the second straight WCAL win, and one that the coach
feels is very important for the team.
"We showed desire today. I've been waiting for it to show up all
season, and today it arrived big time. I saw guys blocking shots
with their face, winning headers, and giving everything they had to the
team. I'm proud of my guys today. I hope they all realize
that we can compete in this league this year, and we don't need to wait
for next year to win games. The coaching staff has faith in
the kids we have, and it was sure nice having Tyler back out there!"
Basanese concluded.
As always, there is no rest for the weary. The Warriors will
travel to Serra High School to take on the Padres on the Tuesday the
15th.
Game Notes: Jake's game winner was the first of his career.
The goal was also the first WCAL goal of Jake's varsity career...The
shutout was the first for the Warriors this year. The win @ SI was
the first for VC since the 03-04 season!
VCSoccer.com Men of the Match: VC
Defense (Mansker, Walitsch, Cardoza, Seaman, Cordeiro)
| Valley Christian |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Saint Ignatius |
0 |
0 |
0 |
VC Starting Lineup: Mansker, Walitsch, Cardoza,
Seaman, Cordeiro, Tarangioli, Joseph, Rosa-Diniz, Reyes, Alex de Leon,
Fahmy
Game time: 1:00
Weather: 63 degrees, Sunny |
