RABBITTOWN -- The sodden turf and driving rains could so easily have doused West Hall’s region title hopes on Friday.
The Spartans were in no mood to let their dreams slip away, however.
West Hall kept its footing, avoided the water hazards and produced a 2-0 victory over East Hall in Rabbittown that netted the Spartans second region crown in three seasons.
“The conditions were difficult; we were very concerned. Anyone could slip and a let a man free in on goal, and then you’re in big trouble,” West Hall coach Tim Gale said. “But the kids played great tonight, and I’m so proud of them.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors and juniors, and they’ve worked so hard to get here. They deserve it.”
East Hall made sure the visitors earned it too, keeping the Spartans (8-1-2, 6-0 Region 7-AAA) defense and goalkeeper Cesar Villa under pressure throughout in a back-and-forth battle that edged on frantic and featured plenty of robust tackles between the two rivals. But goals from Simon Cobian and Rodolfo Aleman -- and a a magical moment from Richie Castruita -- made the difference on the scoreboard between two foes that came into the contest undefeated in 7-AAA.
“East Hall was as good a team as we’ve played this season; they kept possession really well,” Gale said. “We had to be on our toes.”
Villa proved just that, charging out to cut off numerous passes and denying every Vikings shot -- including two impressive saves at the close of the first half that helped West Hall to a 1-0 lead at the interval.
Villa’s first big moment came with just two minutes remaining in the first half as he dove to his left to parry a driven free kick from East Hall standout Leo Toledo. Seconds later Villa showed his quickness on the ground, scrambling to his right to smother a close-range shot from Oscar Gonzalez after Carlos Castrejon played the Vikings attacker clear through on goal.
Villa also came up with a crucial save late in the contest, denying Oskar Mejia’s low, driven effort before smothering the rebound just in front of Toledo.
“Cesar was truly amazing tonight; he was on top of everything, coming out to collect through balls and stopping everything that came near him,” Gale said. “He covered everything beautifully. He’s a tremendous athlete.”
The West Hall defense also played well in keeping Toledo off the scoresheet -- a rarity for the Vikings (11-5-1, 4-1) scoring machine. Even when the East Hall standout dropped into midfield in the second half to provide more influence on the game, the Spartans held firm -- sweeper Eduardo Magana providing plenty of last-ditch tackles and interceptions.
The Spartans also gave as good as they got, however, and West Hall’s attack carried plenty of bite.
Cobian provided the first big moment of the contest, taking advantage of the slick conditions to put West Hall in front 15:32 into the game, as he snaked a low shot into the corner of the Vikings goal from 22 yards -- a shot that squeezed underneath a diving save attempt.
Cobian so nearly doubled West Hall’s lead with nine minutes left in the first half, as the midfielder ripped a 25-yard free kick that deflected just wide of East Hall’s goal.
Scoring chances proved fewer and further between in the second half, as the game turned even more physical -- both teams received yellow card cautions for fouls inside the first 11 minutes of the restart. But Castruita proved too quick for any defender midway through the second half.
The midfielder gathered a loose ball in his own half and sprinted upfield, eluding four defenders en route to goal before laying a perfect pass at the feet of Aleman, who capped the moment of magic by rolling a shot in the Vikings net for a 2-0 advantage with 16:44 left to play.
“We had some better strikes tonight, and we’ve been working on that -- we’re still working on getting better with finishing,” Gale said. “Subbing also made a big difference for us. We’ve got a deep team -- a sub scored for us tonight (Aleman).
“This is just great, and we’re thankful to be here again.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/4/304367/boys-soccer-west-hall-clinches-2nd-region-crown-in-3-seasons