Burroughs Makes Its Point With 1-0 Victory

After missing out on the Foothill League championship for the first time in five years last season, the Burroughs High boys’ soccer team felt a need to prove it’s a force to be reckoned with.

Indian Coach Mike Kodama said the best way to send that message would be for the Indians to win their tournament, which they did with a 1-0 victory over Saugus on Saturday night at Burroughs High.

It is the first time the Indians (4-0-1) have won their tournament since its inception in 1992, but more importantly it puts Burroughs in the minds of opposing coaches again.

“It shows we’re back,” said Kodama, celebrating his 35th birthday. “We showed we are a good team that works hard, plays together and has outstanding leadership.”

That leadership came in handy against Saugus, the team that last season ended the Indians’ four-year hold on the league title.

Miguel Meneses, the tournament’s most valuable player, scored in the 43rd minute. He received a cross pass on the ground near the right post and, without stopping the ball, blasted it across the goal to the far post past diving Saugus goalie Jason Berriz.

“This was a total team effort from goalie to forward,” Meneses said. “It doesn’t matter who scored the goal as long as we win.”

The Indian defense took over after Meneses scored.

Stifiling the Saugus attack by constantly double-teaming Jeff Hammond, the Centurions’ leading scorer, Burroughs allowed Saugus just eight shots on goal.

“This shows that we need to play with more intensity,” Saugus Coach Nate Wright said. “We lost, 1-0, so you can’t cry about it. It’s frustrating but neither team was dominant. They showed we are beatable and I think they are too.”

The rivalry that has developed between the teams over the last five years showed itself as the game wore on.

A physical match throughout, tempers flared near the finish. A shoving match erupted in the 76th minute.

Burroughs forward Stergios Economos and Centurion defenseman Mark Messina received yellow cards following the incident.

Ten minutes earlier Saugus halfback David Wisner received a yellow card from officials, who did not issue any yellow cards in the first half despite the physical nature of the game.

“The referees obviously lost control of the game,” Wright said. “It festered and festered till the end.”

Kodama said that complaining about officiating won’t do any good.

“I’m not going to worry about it,” he said.

“We can both complain about it but the bottom line is the ref didn’t score.”

The rivalry will continue when Foothill League play opens at the start of the new year, and both teams are expecting similar matches.

“We’ll get them two more times,” Wright said. “And I’m sure they will both be one-goal games.”

Added Meneses: “It’s always harder when you play a team a second time, but we’ll be ready.”