er matches often prove not to live up to their billing by turning into a slowdown cat and mouse game of chase the ball and defend, last Saturday’s San Diego Section Division IV title match between the top-seeded Bonita Vista Barons and second-seeded Montgomery Aztecs turned out to be an offensive showcase from the opening whistle.
Both teams went on the attack from the onset, unleashing a flurry of goals to the delight of the fans gathered under an unforgiving sun and record heat. By the time the final whistle blew, the Barons and Aztecs had tallied seven goals between them as Montgomery claimed a 4-3 decision in the friendly battle of Metro Conference opponents.
It was the first section title for the Aztecs in 15 years — and a huge step up from last season’s meager 2-12-6 finish.
“I’m so excited about this — I’m really speechless,” said Montgomery junior midfielder Christopher Aguilar, who scored two goals in the exciting contest.
Bonita Vista, which won the Division II section title in 2010, kicked off last Saturday’s all-Metro match-up in high gear. However, it was the Aztecs (15-7-6) who scored first.
Aguilar cranked in a volley shot off a pass from teammate Johan Rodriguez with five minutes elapsed in the game. Jose Guerra made it 2-0 Montgomery two minutes later.
The Barons (13-7-6) outscored the Aztecs 3-2 over the balance of the contest.
“Those two goals we scored were too early in the game,” first-year Montgomery coach Gaston Vazquez explained. “We had to concentrate on what we were doing because they wanted the game as much as we did. Both teams fought for it.”
Bonita Vista halved the Aztec lead to 2-1 midway through the first half when Ricardo Serrano Diaz converted a rebound shot off a free kick by Chone Hampson-Medina.
The Barons returned to dominating play at that point and a diving save by Montgomery goalkeeper Antonio Morales with 5:20 left in the first half stopped the Bonita Vista squad from scoring the equalizer.
The Aztecs proved turnabout was fair play when Sergio Lopez scored with 2:30 remaining in the opening half to put Montgomery up 3-1 on the scoreboard.
Rodriguez again supplied the assist on a long crossing pass from the right attacking flank.
The Aztecs almost added another goal to their tally sheet when BV goalkeeper Varuzhan Hovhanesian stopped Aguilar on a point-blank shot at the near post just before the halftime whistle.
The second half opened just like the first half did: fast and furious. A Montgomery defender cleared the ball off the goal line after a Bonita Vista’s forward had slipped a roller beyond the reach of a sprawled-out Morales.
The Aztecs responded by scoring off a set play with six minutes gone in the second half to take a 4-1 lead. Rodriguez picked up his third assist in the game when he sent a free kick, taken near the corner flag, to the far post, at which point Aguilar out-leapt the Baron defense to score on a headshot.
But Bonita Vista refused to give up. The Barons halved the Montgomery lead once again when Ronnie Beeson, diving near the end line, redirected a pass into the far corner of the net. With 28 minutes left in regulation, there was still plenty of time for more goals.
Beeson, who notched the game-winning goal in Bonita Vista’s semifinal victory, scored on a great individual effort with 20 minutes to play by blasting a hard shot from the top of the defensive arc just under the crossbar.
4-3.
The Barons held the momentum until the end of the game.
Moises Flores deposited a shot on top of the netting with 12 minutes to play and Beeson drove another cannon shot on goal with 10 minutes left.
Montgomery’s Marcos Jaime hit the crossbar with 4:30 to play to add to the dramatic finish.
“They (the Barons) had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t capitalize on them,” Vazquez said. “We were a little lucky. But we won the championship.”
First-year BVHS coach Tracy Powell concurred with his counterpart’s assessment of the match.
“It went exactly how I thought it would be — both teams would keep scoring until it was over,” Powell said. “We played well and didn’t finish our opportunities. We definitely had some open opportunities but just didn’t finish them. With a new coach, a lot of new players, for us to get this far, to get to the championship game, is a fantastic opportunity.”
Montgomery received the No. 4 seed in the Division IV Southern California regionals and hosted No. 5 seed Newport Beach Sage Hill (13-8) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
