As the referee blew the final whistle to conclude Tam’s 4-3 victory over Redwood in Friday’s MCAL championship, Redwood players could only imagine what could have been.
Moments earlier, Tam (13-4-8) had scored the go-ahead goal, sending Redwood (14-2-4) into desperate attack mode as the Giants tried to salvage their dream of an MCAL pennant.
As sophomore midfielder Isaac Perper darted down the right sideline, sandwiched by two Tam defenders, he drew a foul that gave Redwood a free-kick opportunity just inside the right corner near the Tam goal.
The free kick, struck by the powerful left foot of junior Teymour Sadrieh, hooked in towards the goal, presenting an inviting chance for a Redwood equalizer. But a Tam defender emerged from the leaping mob of players with possession of the ball, seemingly ending Redwood’s chances.
As the ball was cleared downfield, a Redwood player lay in a heap inside the penalty area after having been egregiously tripped by a Tam defender with a questionable off-ball tackle.
But the referee just looked at his watch and continued running down the sideline without making a call. Seconds later, he blew his whistle to signal the end of the game.
The Tam fans stormed the field as the Redwood fans looked on thinking about what could have been, after an epic comeback effort that came up just short.
“We gave it everything we had, and in our hearts we deserved it,” team captain Luke Pfeiffer said. “But a few missed calls and a few mental lapses changed the whole game.”
The game, up until the final five minutes, had been a tale of two halves. Tam took an early 2-0 lead into halftime, with two almost identical goals from inside the penalty area.
Just seven minutes into the second half, the Giants finally had their first chance.
After a foul, senior Sasha Boussina set up for a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. With the the sun shining right into the eyes of Tamʼs goalie, Boussina drilled the ball into the upper left corner Redwood’s first goal.
The one-goal lead was not enough for Tam. About five minutes later, Redwood forward Micky Nengo, a senior who transferred from Tam, took off on a fast break towards the net and slipped the ball right by the goalie to a wide-open Boussina. Boussina, MCALʼs leading goal scorer, tapped it in to tie the game, running over to salute the Redwood student section, giving hugs and high fives.
“At this level and [Boussina] scores those two imperative goals, he really takes the game a step further,” Pfeiffer said.
With only seven minutes remaining, Nengo, who maintained strong possession all game long, broke down the field again, after a well-placed pass from senior defender Lucas Wong. This time, Nengo finished the goal himself to give Redwood a 3-2 lead.
But the Red Hawks, who came from behind in all three of their MCAL playoff victories, quickly struck back.
Fourth-year Tam varsity player Jackson Wong scored two goals in the final five minutes to stun the Giants.
The first of Wong’s goals came on a counter-attack opportunity resulting from a Redwood corner kick, an area of defensive weakness for Redwood all year long. Earlier in the year, the Giants allowed a key goal to Marin Catholic on a counter attack after a corner kick.
With the league championship victory, Tam earned an automatic North Coast Section playoff bid. Redwood, ranked 6th in California by MaxPreps, is expected to earn a spot in NCS playoffs as well. Tam is ranked 24th in the state by MaxPreps.
