Heartbreaker: Mac falls to Jesuit in state title game
The Grizzlies (15-3-1) led the Jesuit Crusaders (16-2-1) for about 75 of the 80 minutes played in regulation at Hillsboro Stadium, and held a 2-0 lead from halftime until the 69th minute. The game ultimately was decided in a penalty kick shoot-out.
“Unfortunately going to PKs, I don’t know there’s a worse way to lose in any sport than a shootout,” said head coach Adam Howard, a 2003 Mac grad in his fourth year directing the program. “When it comes down to it, we’re just so proud that we can say they left it on the field. They did everything and maxed our bodies out and did everything in our power to give ourselves a chance to win.
“That’s what we can hang our hats on at the end of the day. We did everything we possibly could to try to win that game and just didn’t have the ball bounce our way a few times.”
Adding to the frustration was an obscure foul call made that set up Jesuit’s game-tying goal with a minute left in regulation.
A Jesuit shot from about 25 yards out in the middle of the field was easily blocked by a wall of Mac defenders. However, the referee decided Mac senior Adan Figueroa Lampke made an obstructive noise during the shot and award Jesuit a free kick: “verbally distracting an opponent,” is how the little-known violation is written in the rulebook.
Jesuit’s star player, Vala Saghafi, got a clean look off the indirect free kick that curled around the Grizzly wall in the left corner of the net.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Howard said, noting how his defense was well-organized on the play and the Jesuit attacker was “not dangerous in that moment.”
“It’s just unfortunate that that becomes the call that makes a big impact in this game,” Howard said. “I’ve never really heard (that foul) called.”
Of course, a loss cannot be blamed entirely on a call here or there. Jesuit coaches had their own gripes when a Crusader was given a second yellow card 10 minutes into the second half, equaling a red card and giving McMinnville an 11-10 player advantage on the field the rest of the game.
“We just needed to make plays before that (penalty) so that it’s not coming down to that moment,” Howard said. “We needed to not put ourselves in that position regardless of whether that was the call that was made or not.”
The Grizzly faithful in attendance were given something to cheer about early.
Four minutes into the game, Edwin Cuevas George tapped a free kick to brother Abraham, who took a couple touches and sent a “laser from 25 yards,” as it was described in official score book, into the upper right corner of the goal.
“Just an exceptional finish. … It was a screaming ball into the net,” Howard said. “He hit it so hard, from my angle I couldn’t even tell if it actually had gone in. I saw our guys celebrating, so then I knew it must have gone in. What an incredible shot to start the game.”
Abraham Cuevas George, having sat out the semifinal game due to previous in-game infractions, was “dynamic and dangerous” for the get-go, Howard said, noting the junior midfielder drew several fouls in the first 10 minutes.’
“He really put Jesuit back on their heels, really aggressive on the ball,” Howard said.
The two sides went back and forth, up and down the field, as the wind blew and rain fell.
“I thought our kids came out with such great focus and intention and energy from the start,” Howard said. “They made things difficult for Jesuit in terms of breaking lines, being patient defensively and we were organized in how we wanted the press. I thought we caused them some problems.”
In the 15th minute, Mac goalie Hipolito Ramirez Monje was pulled out from the goal during a Jesuit attack. The ball got behind the goalie, but senior defender Nicholas Lozano made a sliding save just feet away from the open net to prevent a game-tying goal.
The Grizzly backline had the challenge of keeping Saghafi, one of the best players in the state, away from the goal. Juan Vargas Bolanos started with the assignment, but after a yellow card, Howard put centerback Figueroa Lampke on the job.
“I thought Adan did a tremendous job on that kid,” Howard said. “Really slowed him down, made things hard for him, got stuck in on tackles.”
Danny Reynaga later got the assignment when Figueroa Lampke received a yellow card himself.
“Just the possibility of (Saghafi) being able to draw another foul, you never want to leave it up to officials to not give them another yellow card and then we’re playing down a player,” Howard said. “I thought Danny did an excellent job of keeping an eye on him and making sure that we slow him down as much as we could.”
With two minutes to go in the first half, a long Jesuit shot was deflected out and controlled by Antonio Virrueta, who passed ahead just past midfield to Edwin “Isai” Cuevas George. The Pacific Conference Player of the Year got by one Jesuit player with a nifty spin move and dribbled toward the Jesuit back line. He then found a streaking Sebastian Lopez on the left side, who took a couple dribbles and drilled a low ball past the Jesuit goalie to give Mac a 2-0 lead.
“It was a great counter,” Howard said. “Isai is so good at making the right decisions and making the right plays, and he made a phenomenal play.
“And Sebastian gets rewarded for his great effort of getting forward and getting into a dangerous spot, and just a phenomenal finish,” Howard said. “Both goals, fantastic soccer for us.”
The battle continued in the second half. And after Jesuit’s midfielder was given the red card, the excitement of what could be started to build.
But, the one-man disadvantage seemed to fuel the Crusaders.
“Jesuit going down a player weirdly might have given them some extra little motivation there,” Howard said. “They’re down two goals, they got nothing to lose. They’re going to leave it on the line and they’re going to be aggressive and take some chances.”
McMinnville had a few chances to make it a 3-0 game, shots that carried just wide, or high, or to the Jesuit goalkeeper.
“We had some opportunities that had we put those away, we probably end that game,” Howard said. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch of that game to finish it and kept them in it and gave him an opportunity.”
Jesuit pushed the ball long every chance they could, resulting a myriad long shots and crossing coming at goalie Ramirez Monje.
“A lot of (Jesuit’s) best opportunities came from deep crosses and challenging Polo in the air. He did another great job of that, especially with the wind conditions and not knowing how the ball is going to be affected by that,” Howard said. “He read things really well throughout the game and did an excellent job in goal for us all season.”
But in the 69th minute, a Jesuit cross got behind the Mac defense to Dominic Boulori, who scored the Crusaders’ first goal.
That gave the Crusaders a boost of hope and energy, and Howard said his team started to try and hold on more than to be who they were in the first 70 minutes.
“Our line started dropping deeper and deeper as that time was wearing down,” Howard said. “Anytime that you get a little less aggressive you give opportunities to the team. And that’s what happened.”
Following the Saghafi’s game-tying goal, the two sides entered 20 minutes of overtime play, which was marred by constant injury substitutions. Players were dropping to the ground with cramping issues every few minutes.
Howard said he was proud of his players for stepping up in extra time when their number was called.
“Guys came in and played hard and filled in roles that hadn’t either been on the field in that game, or much even in the playoffs,” Howard said. “It’s a challenge when you start losing some of your best players on the field. But we have enough depth on this team that guys were able to fill in and finish the overtimes without giving up any goals which was the key.”
Another sign of the grueling nature of the contest was that each team had a player stretched off the field following the game. For Mac, it was Edwin Cuevas George, who collapsed following his successful penalty kick.
Howard said Sunday the senior was doing well and would be fine.
“That was a tough challenge,” Howard said. “Guys definitely had worn themselves out.”
After the two 10-minute overtime periods finished scoreless, the two sides went to penalty kicks to decide a winner. It was the same conclusion as 2006, when Mac beat Jesuit in PKs to win the program’s only state title.
This time, it was Jesuit who triumphed, successfully knocking in four PKs to Mac’s two (scored by the Cuevas George brothers).
While the post-game scene for McMinnville on the field was full of tears and consoling embraces, Howard said a post-game dinner with players and family let them put it all into perspective.
“The morale was still high and they were proud of what they had done, and I think they were able to reflect on the whole entire season in itself and what they accomplished,” Howard said. “It’s hard to win playoff games, and they won four of them. The one they lost was in a PK shootout, in the state championship game.
“They have a lot to be proud of and were able to kind of reflect on that,” Howard said. “Obviously, they wanted to have the other trophy, but it didn’t go our way.”
Comments
Local Yokel
These kids united an entire city. Everyone I know was talking about this and tracking it on their phones, listening on the radio or texting someone at the game. They should be extremely proud of themselves!!!