Boys soccer is defeated in the second round of CIF

By Rachel Rosen

Staff Writer

Undefeated no longer,  the Mustangs fell to Long Beach Wilson.

The Mustangs were bested in penalty kicks  by  Long Beach Wilson in the second round of California Interscholastic Federation playoffs on Feb. 9.

“I think we played really well overall even though we lost,” senior Malcolm Kluth said. “We moved the ball extremely easily and dominated almost the entire game.”

As the first half began, the Mustangs came out full speed. However, Long Beach Wilson’s strong defensive players made it difficult for Costa to have any opportunities for a goal. The first half ended 0-0.

“Wilson had a strong center back who was able to make it tough for us to score,” Kluth said. “I think we would win that game nine times out of 10, but the ball just couldn’t go in that day.”

The Mustangs continued to dominate possession in the second half, but got shut down near their opponent’s goal. Wilson kept senior Josh Gaudiano in check as they knew he was an offensive threat. The score remained 0-0 after another 20 minutes of overtime.

“I was unable to score because I was double man-marked and could not get open to get a shot off,” Gaudiano said. “The chances I had were from tough angles and I could not place it around the keeper.”

Little happened in the last 20 minutes for both teams, according to junior Dillan Argue. The Mustangs prepared for penalty kicks. Seniors Gaudiano, Kluth, and Ian Sinkowitz and juniors Argue and James Riker lined up to kick.

“Overall the team played pretty well,” Gaudiano said. “It’s unfortunate that we had to determine the winner in penalty kicks.”

The Mustangs were unlucky in the their penalty kicks, converting 3 out of 5. Unfortunately Long Beach Wilson sunk 4 and took home the victory.

“It was unfortunate that it came down to penalty kicks because Wilson’s goalie was very good,” Argue said.

Even though the  boys only made it to the second round of CIF, they had an impressive season, going undefeated in Bay League for the first time. The team is hoping to improve next year.

“Even though our season ended in a low, we had a very successful season overall,” Argue said.