Big second half lifts Indians, 3-1

BURBANK HIGH — The Burbank High boys’ soccer team completely dominated the first half of its Pacific League match Friday against Burroughs.

The Bulldogs generated 12 shots during the first 40 minutes and kept the ball primarily in their opponent’s end. In contrast, the Indians had no shots on goal and had a single legitimate scoring chance.

Despite the wealth of chances, Burbank could muster just one goal by the half. That left the door open for Burroughs, which turned things around in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to pull out a 3-1 victory at home.

The win, the second straight in league for the Indians (5-7-2, 4-2-1 in league), puts them into third place in league. The Bulldogs (3-4-2, 2-3-2) fell to sixth.

It was a frustrating end for Burbank, which generated 21 shots in the game. Burroughs was able to capitalize on three of the five shots it could muster on the day.

“I told my guys when it comes down to the bottom line, we let them hang around after the first half and they outplayed us in the second half,” Burbank first-year Coach Loi Phan said. “The first half was all Burbank and the second half was Burroughs.”

Under a barrage of shots, Burroughs was kept in the game in the first half by the play of junior goalkeeper Elliott Whitecotton, who ended the day with 12 saves.

Burbank scored the first half’s only goal in the 21st minute when Tadeh Anbarchian found the back of the net on a corner kick by Jonathan Trujillo.

Clinging to a one-goal lead in the early minutes of the second half, the Indians tied the score in the 60th minute on a sliding goal by Julio Guillermo.

“Burbank had lots of chances in the first half, but they just couldn’t finish those chances,” Burroughs Coach Mike Kodama said. “One or two more goals by them and we would have been dead.

“But when Julio scored that goal, it really changed the game and brought us back to life.”

Burroughs’ Francisco Baez then put his team ahead, 2-1, in the 74th minute when he got behind the Burbank defense and rocketed a shot past the Bulldogs’ keeper.

Baez added a goal in the 80th minute.

“We just had to hold our heads and wake up in the second half,” Baez said. “We weren’t awake in the first half, but we woke up in the second and played a lot better.”