On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Mission San Jose’s Girls’ Soccer team faced off against the Irvington team at Tak Fudenna Memorial Stadium on Mission San Jose’s senior night. Both teams have been struggling throughout the season, but with the season coming to a close, both Irvington and Mission wanted to end the season on a high note.
The match started slow, with neither team gaining traction on the opponent’s side of the field. Both defenses were tough, forcing game play to the midfield.
However, in the 18th minute, Irvington made a push and #16 Aryanna Deshmukh cleaned up a deflection for the first goal of the game. Irvington had all the momentum and continued to attack Mission San Jose’s (MSJ) defense.
Fortunately for MSJ, just nine minutes later, they were able to tap in a deflection off Irvington’s goalkeeper to tie the game. Going into halftime, the game was very even, with neither team able to pull away.
The second half began with more energy. There were many pushes by both teams, but saves by MSJ’s and Irvington’s goalkeepers kept the game tied at 1-1.
Ten minutes into the second half, a beautiful cross in by Irvington led to a goal by #15 Ihan Abdulalim. Just seven minutes later, a fantastic pass by Mission San Jose’s forward led to an easy goal to tie the game at 2-2.
With 20 minutes left in the game, it was clear that the next goal would likely decide the game. With that in mind, both defenses stepped up, locking down the opposing teams’ attacks. With six minutes left in the game, it looked like the match would end in a tie. A last minute opportunity was presented when the Irvington Vikings got a set position. An excellent corner kick by by the Vikings led to a game-winning goal by #2 Linna Shah, with just five minutes left on the clock.
Following the game, Irvington’s head coach Gustavo Becerra stated, “This was one of our best games of the season. We worked together by passing the ball and creating plays.” He specifically highlighted center back Hannah Chan as a player who “stopped many advances by MSJ.”
Irvington’s captain, goalkeeper Natalie Brahan, said the team “stayed aggressive throughout the game, and it felt great to see all our hard work pay off.”
Although it was Mission San Jose’s senior night, Irvington stole the show and gave their seniors one last game to smile about before the season ended.
