West Valley defeated De Anza 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 22, at West Valley College, with the difference coming from a penalty kick late in the first half of the NorCal Region playoff round two match. The loss eliminated the De Anza Mountain Lions from the tournament.
The decisive moment came in the 40th minute, when De Anza’s midfielder Adonai Weldemichael tripped a West Valley attacker inside the box, awarding West Valley a penalty.
West Valley defender Pavan Nawbatt, (West Valley No. 16) converted the kick to give his team the lead. The match remained a tightly contested defensive battle, with West Valley officially recording two shots and De Anza with three.
De Anza entered the match without a regular starter, missing midfielder Keven “Peewee” Orocio (De Anza No. 14) 19, business administration major, who was suspended after receiving a yellow card in the previous playoff round against Modesto Junior College.
West Valley later went down to 10 players after defender Edan Bavelock (West Valley No. 20) was ejected for a two-footed slide on De Anza defender Alejandro Juarez (De Anza No. 4). Despite the advantage, the Mountain Lions couldn’t find an equalizer.
Fans on both sides felt the intensity of the playoff atmosphere.
“It was so tough to watch that penalty go in right before halftime,” Sofia Medina, 18, biology major at De Anza, said. “The team fought so hard in the second half. It’s sad to see the season end, but they played with so much heart.”
West Valley supporters celebrated the narrow victory.
“Our defense was amazing, especially after we went down to 10 men,” Alex Chen, 19, computer science major at West Valley said. “That 1-0 score was intense, but we got the win and are moving on, which is all that matters in the playoffs.”
