The De Anza Men’s Soccer team season came to an end with a 2-0 loss against Butte College in the second round of NorCal Regionals on Saturday Nov. 23. The team expressed optimism for next season.
Butte scored the first goal in minute 21 when a handball in the goalie box gave Elias Stingl (Butte No. 4) the opportunity for a penalty kick, placing the ball in the bottom left corner of the net. The second goal came in the 49th minute, with Matteo Di Gennaro (Butte No. 21), dribbling in from the left and delivering a strike to the top right corner. The goal was assisted by Shahin Adwan (Butte No. 97).
De Anza goalkeeper Omar Figueroa (No. 1), a sophmore, played an impressive game, saving five of the seven shots on goal.
“I’ve got a lot running through my head,” Figueroa said.
Despite generating chances in the first half, De Anza struggled to capitalize and scored none of them.
“I don’t think we really put a whole lot of our chances on the frame,” Head Coach Rusty Johnson said. “They (the shots) are not going to go in if you don’t give them a chance.”
The match ended with six yellow cards — three for De Anza and three for Butte. Forward Emiliano Castro garnered the Mountain Lions a red card, given to the team after the final whistle, following a heated exchange where a Butte player celebrated directly in Castro’s face, causing an emotional reaction.
“That’s just how it goes,” Johnson said. “Another lesson our guys need to learn is how to handle officials, how to handle the other team and how to stay calm.”
De Anza entered the game as the No. 3 seed, hoping to bounce back from an earlier loss to Butte during the regular season. Forward Andre Gonzalez, 18, noted the team’s competitive spirit.
“We had some good chances and a pretty 50/50 game in the first half,” Gonzalez said. “It was really competitive, and the result was just unfortunate.”
Johnson said the team needed the experience and loss to develop its players, as they had room to grow.
“This group is very talented. They just need more experience,” Johnson said. “We’re 25 freshmen and five sophomores. We came in higher seeded than we were.”
“We’re really young… I know we definitely have a very good team for next year,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to work really hard in the winter and spring to try and build a stronger team.”
Gonzalez also said he plans to return to the team.
“It’s a building year for these guys. Time to get some more players and see what we can do,” Johnson said. “It (De Anza men’s soccer) is a program that is perennially in the playoffs.”
This year’s results weren’t what De Anza had hoped for, but the team’s resilience and passion for the game hint at the possibility for a strong 2025 season for the team.
