From the sports activities archives: The South San Francisco boys’ soccer workforce knocks off Capuchino | Native

Given the end of athletics in the county, the Daily Journal decided to dive into our 20 year old archives to bring readers some of our favorite stories over the years.

DEC. Sep. 4, 2007 – Soccer is a physical game. On Monday, the boys’ soccer teams from South San Francisco and Capuchino took that premise to a new level. The players had to be on the defensive the whole game because they would be blown up if they didn’t protect themselves.

Elbows and feet flew, players pushed, pushed and grabbed. Tough tackles that verged on fouls were part of the game, but in the end the visit to South City prevailed with a 3-1 win to stay undefeated this season.

“We haven’t been in a game like this all year,” said Anthony Dimech, South San Francisco coach. “We played good football. Today it was a dogfight in the park. It was nice to see my boys keep their heads. It is good to have this experience. “

Both teams almost got hit in the middle of the first half when a Capuchino striker apparently got an elbow in the head. He went to the defender of the offending warriors and gave him a two-handed thrust in the chest. Several members of both teams flew in, but no further damage was done.

It seemed that the rest of the game was being used to get revenge. The Mustangs were looking for a repayment, and the Warriors returned the favor when they got it.

“This is usually a physical game,” said Capuchino manager Rod Kovacevic of the Mustangs’ game against South City. “[Nonleague] or league, it seems like a little more rivalry, even more so than Mills, which is really a rivalry. It always becomes a physical match. That was as long as I can remember – 10, 11 years. “

When the teams decided to focus on football, it was the warriors who did better. They controlled midfield, which allowed them to vary their attack – they could either build their offensive with multiple passes or send long through passes to strikers who ran at the top.

Capuchino, on the other hand, struggled to tie the passes together, so he took the more direct approach to goal.

“South City played better. They controlled the midfield. It was difficult for us to regain midfield, ”said Kovacevic. “That’s why they had more chances.”

The Warriors (6-0) took a 1-0 lead 15 minutes before the start of the game. The ball rolled along the midfield and a Capuchino player waited for the ball to roll past him so he could turn the field up. Instead, Jose Perez stepped forward and stole the ball. After a few taps, he sent a perfect pass that hit Aldo Castro in one fell swoop. He carried the ball deep into the end of the Mustangs and hit a perfect shot over the goalkeeper’s head and just under the crossbar from about 25 yards to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

This advantage lasted until half time, but a few minutes after the start of the second half, Capuchino (3-4) had a golden chance on the track. Nick Medina got his head on the ball at a corner at the far post. The South City goalkeeper tried to hit the ball clearly, only to let it bounce off his fist and get back to his goal. One of the warrior’s defenders headed the ball off the line and the crisis was averted.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, the Mustangs finally struck. Omar Castro sent a perfect pass into the center of the box after a free kick 45 yards from the Warriors’ goal. Teammate Nicholas Sanchez was there, putting a header back on top of the ball, which found the back of the net.

However, the Capuchin celebration was short-lived. Two minutes later, South City finally took the lead. Esteban Martinez moved almost the entire Capuchino defense to the left side of the field. Unfortunately, the Jaime Torres opened up a lot of space in the back. Martinez sent a long cross across the field. Torres made a few touches to control the ball and released his shot before the Mustangs defenses could recover. He shoved his shot into the right post for a 2-1 advantage.

About seven minutes later, the warriors added an insurance target for a nice offset. South City received a free kick right in front of the penalty area from Capuchino. Richard Luna sent a curling flank to the post on the far right, where Castro came in and buried it with his head for a 3-1 lead.

“There were a lot of free kicks in the game. Lots of good chances, ”said Dimech.