In a tense game between men’s soccer rivals, De Anza College was able to secure a 3-2 home game victory on Oct. 18 after a history of losses against Evergreen Valley College.
The Mountain Lions avenged their previous 3-0 defeat against Evergreen Valley earlier in the season and came back with a hard fought game that went down to the final whistle.
Striker Ricardo Tovar (Evergreen Valley No. 31) scored the first goal in minute 17, assisted by forward Jesus Valtierra (Evergreen Valley No. 18), putting the Hawks in a 1-0 lead.
De Anza responded swiftly — just 10 minutes later, forward Andre Gonzales (De Anza No. 7) evened the score, volleying the ball off a well-placed header from forward Emiliano Castro (De Anza, No. 14), setting the tone for a comeback.
The Mountain Lions, motivated by their first goal, picked up the pace, staying composed and playing a better second half. Team captain Whitaker Tollmann (De Anza No. 3), 19, a business major, who was a key defensive player in the match, reflected on the team’s comeback after a shaky start.
“Our team came together after a sloppy first half and showed sparks of our true potential,” Tollmann said.
Forward Peewee Orocio (De Anza No. 20), 17, a business management major, found the back of the net halfway through the second half with an assist by previous goal scorer Gonzales.
Just 13 minutes later, the Mountain Lions were awarded a penalty, which midfielder Alessandro Velasquez (De Anza No. 10) flawlessly placed into the top left corner, extending De Anza’s lead to 3-1.
After the fourth goal, with only little time remaining, the Mountain Lions were given four yellow cards (three during added time), raising concern for forward player Flavio Barney (De Anza No. 16), 19, a business management major.
“I think we need to control our emotions more as a team and individually,” Barney said. “It can lead to unnecessary yellow or red cards which will affect us in the long run.”
As the game went into extra time, Roberto Martinez (Evergreen Valley No. 17) scored a penalty kick for the Hawks, concluding the game with a 3-2 victory for De Anza; the first time in 1,809 days that the Mountain Lions have won against the Hawks.
“I’m sure we’re going to face Evergreen (Valley) again in the playoffs,” Barney said. “We’re going to work even harder and be more prepared, but ultimately I’m proud of my team and how we played today.”
Following the game, De Anza rose to the number one spot in the Coast-South conference, improving their record to 9-3-2 overall and 5-1-1 in conference play. With six regular season matches remaining, the Mountain Lions look to stay poised and maintain their spot.
