Lilly Fabian
and Audrey Williams
Staff Writers
Boys soccer left rival Redondo kicking and screaming, beating them 1-0 on Tuesday.
After a shaky kick-off, the Mustangs (7-4-4) calmed their nerves and were able to settle the ball and connect passes. Within the first five minutes of play, senior midfielder Chris Vasquez chipped the ball to junior forward Kevin Vartan who shot the ball into the back of the net.
“I was extremely grateful that I could help the team earn this win, especially because it was such a pivotal game in our team’s season,” Vartan said. “The result of the game was so much more than I could have ever hoped for. Everyone had their own role and carried it out with hard work and skill.”
Throughout the half, the boys moved the ball forward and fired a few close shots, all of which Redondo goalkeeper senior Ricky Alvera blocked. Alvera kept Redondo (8-8-3) in the game by preventing Costa from gaining a big lead.
“Redondo’s keeper was good, but it takes more than one person to win a game, and we dominated overall,” junior goalkeeper Justin Fairchild said.
Junior midfielder Tyler Knudson dislocated his knee during the middle of the first half, which was caused by a loose tendon. The referee stopped the game timer while Knudson was carried off of the field and taken to the hospital.
“He was already wearing a knee brace, so we knew that when he got tackled, it messed up his knee even more,” junior defender Anand Sarathy said.
Costa started the second half off with quick ball movement and a hard shot on the ground by senior forward Max Steinmetz that flew just wide of the goal. Redondo countered with a shot from junior forward Adam King that missed to the right of Costa’s goal.
“They got a couple close shots off, but our defense stayed solid,” Fairchild said.
With 20 minutes left, Vartan almost scored again with a header that Alvera was forced to scramble to capture. Nearing the end the fourth quarter, Redondo attempted a number of shots but failed to tie the game.
“Redondo really pushed at the end of the game, but we were able to hold them off and keep our lead,” Sarathy said.
The Mustangs currently hold a record of 3-1-1 in Bay League. They play the Sea Kings today at 3 p.m. at Palos Verdes High School.
“We are really starting to play as a team, and things are beginning to click,” senior center defender and co-captain Caley Berney said.
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