The De Anza men’s soccer team lost in the first round of the playoffs to Cabrillo College in a shutout on Saturday, Nov. 21.

From the first minute Cabrillo dominated possession and took control of the game. They pressured early earning multiple scoring chances.

The Seahawks aggressive offense had the Dons on their heels and forced them to make desperate clears.

When De Anza did get the ball they could not string passes together and Cabrillo easily took possession back.

The Dons defense was active the entire first half, clearing the ball off the line more than once.

At the 31-minute mark the Seahawks hard work finally paid off.

Defender Connor Kurze attempted to clear the ball up the field to a teammate but ended up kicking it to a Cabrillo player who struck the ball into the top corner of the Dons goal.

“It was just a miscommunication for the pass,” said Kurze, “I thought one of the midfielders was going to check in and he made a different run and they just countered on us.”

Cabrillo seemed to gain confidence from the goal and continued to pour it on until the end of the half.

‘“We had a really poor start and they took advantage of that,” said midfielder Dan Galvan.

The score was 1-0 Cabrillo at halftime.

Coach Rusty Johnson had a lot to say to his team at halftime.

“A lot of four letter words and a lot of anger,” said Johnson, “they needed to be snapped out of it.”

De Anza came out looking sharp and focused after halftime

The Dons got a chance early when a free kick lead to the ball bouncing in the Seahawks box before falling to a De Anza player who hit it up and over the crossbar.

While De Anza’s offense came to life, Cabrillo’s defense stood tall. Their goalkeeper made crucial saves and players cleared balls consistently.

In the dying minutes of the game, forward Miguel Castillo had a scoring chance but headed a cross just wide.

The Dons second half push was not enough in the end.

“At half time I think they got their heads on straight, but it wasn’t enough time” Johnson said.

De Anza had a talented team but were outworked in the first half which cost them the game.

“We had just played this team two weeks ago and thought we could handle these guys it won’t be that bad and it cost us,” Galvan said. “Out of the first round because of our pregame mentality basically”

The previous game against Cabrillo resulted in a 2-2 draw.

“When hard work comes at you and you’ve got just talent and you’re not willing to work it’s not