De La Salle Defeats San Ramon Valley for NCS Soccer Title

Persistence is not a word one would often associate with a team that had three consecutive championships under its belt, but it's persistence indeed that led the De La Salle High boys soccer team to win its fourth Division I North Coast Section title Saturday night.

The Spartans capture that championship by beating San Ramon Valley High, 2-0.

The first half of play saw little action from either side, with both teams combining for only four shots on goal.

"Both teams were a little sloppy in the first half. The execution wasn't quite there, from two teams known for that kind of thing," commented De La Salle head coach Derricke Brown.

After a scoreless first half, De La Salle found its offensive rhythm but was still unable to score. While the Spartans outshot the Wolves 10 to 5 in the second half, even breakaway opportunities seemed to find the ball in the goalie's hands instead of the goal.

Finally, in the 65th minute, senior striker Carlo Eikani blasted the ball into the corner of the net from the 20-yard line.

"Our wings were just going at the goal. Our coaches told us to keep pushing and eventually it was going to come," said Eikani. "It was nice to get the goal." 

The goal ignited the Spartan offense, which senior attacker Evan Molineux capitalized on when he headed in a corner kick from senior winger Damian Martinez in the 68th minute, sealing the 2-0 win.

"I was down at halftime because I missed that wide open shot in the first half, but the team told me to keep going and I'd get one eventually," commented Molineux. "When I scored, I looked to my teammates because they helped me get the goal."

It was De La Salle's persistence in their attack that earned the team this year's NCS title. 

"De La Salle out-executed us tonight. All the credit goes to them," said San Ramon Valley head coach Don Busboom after the game. "We poured everything into it but didn't get the result we wanted. But I'm proud of my boys."

When asked about the "four-peat," Coach Brown said that "... for this group of seniors to make history again is something that's truly special and we're able to enjoy it with everybody. We're extremely happy right now."