Glendale boys’ soccer doesn’t create enough chances in 2-1 loss to Muir
The Glendale High boys’ soccer team fell to Muir High on Friday, 2-1.
A year removed from a second-place finish in the Pacific League, the Glendale High boys’ soccer team finds itself in a different spot early in the 2015-16 season.
The visiting Nitros had trouble creating scoring opportunities Friday afternoon in league play and fell to Muir, 2-1, to complete a season sweep for the Mustangs.
“We couldn’t finish and we made a lot of mistakes in the backfield and we got scored on,” said Glendale Coach Artur Aghasyan, whose team lost to Muir, 3-1, on Dec. 8. “We were missing a starter today and I really don’t want to say anything else. We just didn’t play well.”
PHOTOS: Glendale High falls to Muir, 2-1
The Mustangs (5-3-1 overall, 2-0 in league) outshot the Nitros, 12-4, with Glendale (0-2 in league) limited to two shots in the second half.
Glendale’s lack of offensive punch became even more noticeable after the Mustangs broke a deadlock at 1 in the 63rd minute.
Junior forward Santana Nunez, who had a foot in both of the Mustangs’ goals, scored the match-winner when he took a short pass inside the 18 from senior halfback Satchel Robinson and ripped a 12-yard goal to give Muir a 2-1 advantage.
The goal came on the final of five second-half tries for the Mustangs, who had come agonizingly close in earlier sequences.
Robinson had received a brilliant through ball in the 56th minute, which left him in a one-on-one position against Glendale goalie Lucy Rivara (five saves) about 20 yards from goal.
Rivara made a diving try to bat the ball away only to watch Robinson dribble by him, but fire high on a wide-open shot from 15 yards.
Muir senior defender Joey Knowles also stole a poor Nitros’ clearout attempt about 10 yards from goal and fired a shot that required a diving save from Rivara in the 62nd minute.
While the Nitros defense had some issues, the offense’s lone tally came in the 34th minute via set piece.
Senior Brian Zeoli blistered a 25-yard shot that caught Muir’s goalie flat-footed as the Nitros tied the contest at 1.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in practice recently and on my own working on weekends and in free time on my free kicks,” Zeoli said. “I saw an opportunity and I just took it. Practice pays off and it went in.”
Two minutes earlier, Glendale’s Adeh Vartanian also had a clean look at net on a 20-yard direct kick sail over the cross.
Zeoli’s goal countered a 26th-minute score by the Mustangs when Nunez fed Uriel Gonzalez for a goal on an opportunity created by another poor clearout from Glendale.
Other than the defeat, Aghasyan was also miffed at Muir by what the coach described as a lack of sportsmanship.
The lights in Muir’s field turned on with five minutes remaining in the contest, while the home scoreboard was off the entire match, the nearest gate to Glendale’s bus was not opened and the Mustangs did not wear white jerseys.
“Every time we come to this school, we don’t feel like we’re welcomed here,” Aghasyan said. “The lights didn’t turn on until 5 [p.m.] and by then, it was already dark. Muir didn’t open the gate closest to us. We have to deal with this all the time and it’s sportsmanship. They’re not professional.”
Longtime Muir Coach Mario Hernandez chuckled upon hearing Aghasyan’s issues and offered a retort.
“They can complain as much as they want,” Hernandez said. “They took 45 minutes to open the door at their place for us and we didn’t complain. It is what it is. You can make a case for whatever, including the lights. We were both playing under the same lights, so what’s the complaint.”
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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
