Rally nets Burbank boys’ soccer quality tie at Crescenta Valley
LA CRESCENTA – Two second-half goals capped an impressive two-match swing for the Burbank High boys’ soccer team on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to tie host Crescenta Valley, 2-2, in Pacific League play.
For a Burbank squad that finished 0-13-5 last season and 0-11-3 in league for last place, the Bulldogs have rebounded with a vengeance having defeated Pasadena, 4-2, on Thursday followed by Friday’s tie.
“This is all because of a lot of hard work and the guys are resilient,” Burbank coach Gor Kirakosyan said. “I was proud of the effort in the second half especially because we played a game yesterday and it’s tough to have back-to-back road games against tough teams. I’m really proud of my players; all credit to them.”
The Bulldogs (2-1-1, 1-0-1 in league) and Falcons (1-1-1, 0-0-1) had key players step up.
Burbank’s go-to standout was senior Andrew Senane, who had a foot in both of his team’s scores, notching a goal and an assist. Crescenta Valley senior Falcons senior Ayden Blackwood had a pair of assists, aiding goals by Shayan Afzali and Dallas Kaauwai.
Senane laced a cross to Ethan Jay, who buried a seven-yard shot for a goal in the 72nd minute as the Bulldogs tied the match at 2.
Burbank’s goal was the culmination of a spirited second half for the Bulldogs, who were held without a shot on goal in the first half, but tallied six in the second half.
Thirteen minutes earlier, it was Senane who helped reverse his team’s fortunes as the Bulldogs were down, 2-0.
Senane was sent a short pass from senior forward Artyom Ginosyan about 35 yards from goal.
With Crescenta Valley defenders backing off, Senane ripped a long-distance shot into the upper left of the net for a goal that brought the visitors within 2-1.
“I just had a lot of space on the play,” Senane said. “The goalie was playing off, so I just decided to shoot it.”
Good vibrations on one side of the field translated into frustration on the other side for Crescenta Valley.
Despite surrendering both goals, the Falcons had plenty of chances to expand on their goal total.
Crescenta Valley had a wide-open look in the 65th minute sail wide left after Burbank goalie Christian Ramos, who finished with seven saves, was beat on the play.
The Falcons also had a potential match-winner in the 77th minute from point blank sail over the net.
“It could have easily been four or five goals for us, but you have to convert,” Crescenta Valley coach Grant Clark said. “You have to look at Burbank and they fought hard the whole second half and teams will come back if you leave the door open.”
Unlike Burbank, Crescenta Valley entered with plenty of rest, having not played since Saturday and having had practices canceled this week due to poor air quality.
Yet, there didn’t appear to be any rust, especially for Blackwood.
The striker contributed two assists, the first coming on a 10-yard header from Afzali in the eighth minute, which put the Falcons up, 1-0.
Blackwood then assisted with a cross to Kaauwai, who converted a goal in the 23rd minute to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
The loss was the second in as many contests at home for Crescenta Valley in which it didn’t hold onto a second-half lead. The Falcons previously surrendered two second-half goals in a 2-1 defeat to El Camino Real on Nov. 30.
“We have to better,” Clark said. “There’s no excuse for that, losing a two-goal led in the second half. We’re a better team than that and we’ll learn and we’ll grow and we’ll get better and we’re not going to do this again.”
