SDA Boys Soccer Defeats LCC

The San Dieguito Academy boys soccer team took on longtime rival La Costa Canyon Wednesday, resulting in the team’s first win over LCC in two years. The Mustangs anticipated a challenging match up against the Mavericks who held a record of 10-3-3 so far this season.

The game started at a quick pace with LCC having the first kickoff. Throughout the half, ball possession was relatively equal between the two teams. However, with 7:44 left in the first half, LCC scored on the Mustangs to put them at 1-0 lead.

Driven, the San Dieguito boys quickly recovered and pushed down the field. With less than two minutes left in the half, senior Jonah Aere took a free kick that senior Patrick Rahilly recovered and then dribbled through the Maverick defense to score on LCC’s keeper. This brought the score to 1-1 going into half time.

At the beginning of the second half, the Mustangs made many runs down the field but were unable to finish a goal. About 10 minutes into the half, junior Owen Doyle crossed the ball in front of LCC’s goal where their defender attempted to clear the ball but accidentally kicked it into the back of the net. With 30 minutes left in the game, SDA was now ahead 2-1.

Determined, the SDA boys kept pressuring the Maverick defense. With only 2:30 left in the game, sophomore Miles LaVake played a through ball to senior Chris Pickering who sprinted to the ball and faced a one on one situation with the LCC goalie. Pickering shot the ball and scored SDA’s third and last goal.

As the whistle blew, Mustang pride was at an all-time high. With smiles on their faces, the San Dieguito Academy boys soccer team cheered for the victory against the team they had lost to in the CIF Division 1 quarterfinals last year.

The Mustangs’ next game is Friday, Jan. 26 at CCA.