By Juan Carlos Salas
Mt. View celebrates second consecutive soccer title.
(Downey) – “I hope this puts El Monte on the map, because we are known well for some other stuff, but money can’t buy hard work, money can’t buy heart and money can’t buy passion.”
Those were Co-Head Coach Javier Aguiniga’s words after Mountain View (16-4-4) won their second consecutive CIF Boy’s Soccer Title with a 2-1 victory over Hesperia Oaks Hills (21-5-4) at Justice Stadium on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon.
Unlike last year’s thrilling overtime victory, Mountain View only needed 80 minutes to get the job done – a goal by freshmen forward Pablo Tellez, and another from an unfortunate source.
The wet and cold weather took its effect on the game and helped Mountain View use a more technical style of play against a potent offensive opponent, shutting down Oaks Hills Juan Nuno, who had notched 39 goals coming into the game.
“We are a team. We are not made by one player,” said Aguiniga when asked about shutting down Nuno. “We don’t win individually. In the end when we get the plaque, it says Mountain View, not every player’s name.”
But the wet ball didn’t help the goalkeepers, leading to couple mistakes for scoring opportunities.
It took 46 minutes for any team to get on the board. It was Mountain View who went first, with an own goal by Bulldog Brett Croft.
Finding good rhythm after the goal, the Vikings once again found the back of the net in the 57th minute. After frenzy of saves by Oaks Hills goalkeeper Broderic Capps, the loose ball found itself in front of Tellez, who drilled it home for the game-winner and a 2-0 lead.
Oaks Hills was able to make a game of it in the 86th minute. A loose ball in front of the Mountain View goal was finished by Miguel Rivera to cut his team’s deficit to a single-goal margin.
From the opening whistle, Mountain View’s speedsters Jesus Mariscal and Fabian Villasenor consistently decimated the outside backs of Oaks Hills; however neither team was able to get accurate looks at goal.
The clearest opportunity came for Mountain View in the 13th minute when Villasenor beat his defender on the flanks, and sent a low cross to the penalty area where forward Julio Fernandez was streaking in. Capps intercepted the cross, but the wet ball slipped from his grasp in front of an empty. However Fernandez couldn’t get his laces on it and was cleared by the Bulldog defense.
Being leveled scoreless through the first half, it took six minutes to break the tie. Mariscal back-headed a long throw in by Villasenor inside the 18-yard box towards goal. But the ball first found the chest of Croft who redirected it past Capps and into his own net for a tentative 1-0 Viking lead.
The goal ignited a fire under Mountain View, which continued finding space both on the outside and through the middle, as Oaks Hills defense was playing too deep for its own good.
“They had that last man always far back and I realized that if I was going check in”, said Villasenor, “I knew there would always going to be on my outside making a run, I just hand to distribute the ball.
The pressure paid off in the 57th minute as Mountain View made it 2-0 on a play that started with a short corner kick to defender Manuel Garcia. From the outside the 18-yard box, he took a curving shot on goal to which Capps couldn’t hold on to.
The loose ball landed directly into the path midfielder Carlos Zarate, who’s first and second point-blank attempts were denied. Within the multitude of players, it was Tellez who sent the ball past an out of position Capps, doubling the Viking lead.
Even though Mountain View never allowed the momentum to change and kept pressing, Oaks Hills finally got on the board. In the 68th minute, Oaks Hills’ Sergio Ramos sent in a strong header which was punched away by Viking ‘keeper Ozzie Martinez, who otherwise had a quiet night. The clearance left Martinez out of stance, where Miguel Rivera capitalized and fired a right footer to the back of the net.
But the 2-1 margin would hold up through the last ten minutes, as Mountain View played the possession game, eventually winding down the clock to a second consecutive CIF title.
The victory brought pride to folks of Mountain View and El Monte once again. But within the joy and celebration also laid a memory of sorrow and sadness.
The game was emotionally charged by nature, but also for the memory of Bobby Salcedo, a former Mountain View administrator and avid soccer supporter, who was tragically murdered in Mexico before the New Year.
As players and staff pointed out after the game, this title was not just for the school, or the community, it was for Coach Bobby.
“It was definitely hard,” said Aguiniga about repeating. “When Bobby Salcedo passed away, the guys said we’re going to do it again for him, and that was the only motivation needed.”
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