Bulldogs cruise past Hawks
Highland scores 3 goals in second half to pick up GL win
PALMDALE — The second half of the Golden League match between the Highland and Knight boys soccer teams was much different than the first on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs broke open a close onegoal lead with three unanswered goals in the second half against a Knight team still reeling from an injury to a teammate late in the first half.
Highland held on for a 4-1 victory over Knight at Highland High School in the first Golden League match in nearly a month as league play resumed following the Christmas break.
Highland (6-2-1, 6-2-1) remains in third place (tied for second in win percentage) in the highly competitive Golden League, while Knight (5-5-4, 4-4-2) remains in fifth place, but lost ground to fourth-place Eastside.
“First half was kind of shaky, but second half, we just pulled through and got another victory against Pete Knight,” Highland junior Jose Lopez said. “I think we just pushed more and had more spirit towards the end of the game. First half, like I said, was a little bit shaky, but pushed through.”
Highland took control of the game early, with a goal by senior Jesus Flores in the fifth minute.
Flores scored on a header from five yards near the far post off a corner kick by junior Leonardo Gomez.
“Pretty good. Started slow, but we picked it up,” said Flores, a third-year varsity player. “Very good touching in the end, but we started with long ball, but we picked it up a little bit.
“We started pressing. When the coach told us to high press, we started pressing more and the game started going up.”
Knight suffered a more serious setback in the 37th minute, when junior team captain Jamel Peevy went down with an apparent knee injury, landing awkwardly after leaping to challenge for a ball in front of the Highland goal.
The game was delayed for several minutes while coaches and officials attended to Peevy, who was then carried off the field.
Paramedics arrived during halftime and Peevy was eventually loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital.
“It all went downhill after their teammate went down,” Knight coach Juan Paolo said. “That’s why tomorrow we’re not going to practice, we’re going to talk, because we’re got tough games ahead.
I’m not done. I’m not done with this season. The team has a lot of talent and I’m not giving up. I’m not giving up. I know we’ve lost him for the season. He’s gone.
“We’ve got a lot of talking to do tomorrow.”
Highland went on the attack in the second half and capitalized on scoring opportunities.
The Bulldogs scored in the 53rd minute, when Lopez scored on a header from in front of the goal off a free kick from 20 yards by Gomez.
“It feels amazing, because we were practicing literally all break,” said Lopez, a first-year varsity player. “We were putting in the work and then clearly it paid off right now.”
Gomez scored again in the 61st minute, chipping in the ball over the Knight keeper from eight yards following a breakaway, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
It was the first time Gomez has scored two goals in a game this season.
“I was looking for the third, but couldn’t grab it,” Lopez joked. “Everybody has talent on this team. That’s what I love about it. We all work hard. That’s really what we need to win CIF. That’s all we’re looking for.”
Highland senior Juan Valera capped the scoring for the Bulldogs with a goal on a breakaway from 12 yards in the 64th minute, past a diving Knight keeper to the far post.
“First half, we started slow,” Highland coach Barry Cobb said. “Second half, we picked it up. We’re a second-half team. Maybe a little more intensity since their … I hope their player is OK, first of all. He’s a great player and I hope he’s well. We’re a second-half team. We’re just picking and picking and picking and picking and trying to find mistakes that the other team might make and capitalize on it. Some of it could have been they lost one of their main players, most definitely that’s going to hurt for coach Juan over there. He’s a great player, that guy. I wish him the best and hope he’s all right.”
Highland senior goalie Jose Figueroa made a handful of saves in goal for the Bulldogs.
Highland had not played since Dec. 21, when the Bulldogs played to a scoreless tie at Palmdale.
“It felt pretty good, starting off good,” Flores said of the second half of league play. “It was a good start, so it can warm us up and keep us rolling.
“We’ve just got to lock in the rest of the games.”
Flores had a header from five yards go high in the 51st minute, following a free kick by Gomez from 45 yards, that was initially headed by Lopez.
There are now five league matches remaining in the regular season, starting at first-place Littlerock on Friday for Highland.
“The league is tight. You’ve got to come out on the second half with a win or no less than a tie. You can’t afford losses,” Cobb said. “It comes down to the end. That’s what makes us the greatest league, I think, because it comes down to the end. Who’s going to be first and who’s going to have that fourth-place spot? Hopefully, we can give Littlerock a run at it and get a victory and bump our way up to the top there. Need a little help from some other people. Make a run at the finish and hopefully get up there at first or second. Love to take the win.”
Highland lost to Littlerock 3-0 at Highland on Dec. 6. The Lobos shared the league title with Quartz Hill last season.
“Just the same thing we did here, just keep moving forward,” Lopez said of the second half of the season. “We’ll put up a good fight against Littlerock. That’s the only game we need to worry about. It should be a good game.”
Knight was able to score in stoppage time, as freshman Joseph Rodriguez scored from in front of the goal off a cross from senior Jose Munguia.
Highland defeated Knight 2-1 in the first meeting on Dec. 1, the second league match of the season.
“(Highland) played a good game. A smart game,” Paolo said. “They had a different plan than they did the first game. The first game, they came over to our house and they countered the whole game. We attacked them all game long. They countered one long ball and they took the game from us at the end of the game.
“Today, it was smart. It was a whole different game plan. They controlled the half line. The second half, we were just a mess. I emptied the bench with about 20 minutes left, people who have played barely all year long got on the field, because it was over. I could see it in their eyes. I talked to them at halftime, but I could see they were not here any longer.”
Munguia nearly scored in the 59th minute, when he chipped a shot over the Highland keeper off a free kick by Knight senior Ethan Maldonado. A Highland defender headed the ball out of bounds.
Knight hosts second-place Palmdale on Friday.
The league schedule is different next week, when the Golden League will play on Monday and Friday.