On Saturday, March, Archbishop Mitty celebrated defeating St. Francis 4-1 in a shootout in the CIF NorCal Division I Championship. 2, 2024 at Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. (Carl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE โ Archbishop Mitty needed a miracle Saturday when it caught up in the 80th and final minute of regulation.
Giuseppe Sigala answered.
The senior scored the team's most dramatic goal of the season. It was the best goal to send a Northern California Division 1 regional championship game against archrival St. Francis into sudden-death overtime with the score tied at 2.
Mitty, playing on its wet home field in San Jose, ultimately won 4-1 in a penalty shootout to clinch the program's first regional title.
However, he almost didn't reach a penalty kick.
More drama unfolded in overtime, when Mitty goaltender Alan Quintero managed to convert a narrow shot from sophomore Michael Scabot, who was poking down the left side, in the final seconds of the 15-minute overtime, giving his team a shot. It was 1:1. keeper.
“It's a scary moment,” Sigala said.
A week after losing to Mitty in the Central Coast Section Division I final, instead of St. Francis celebrating the winning goal, the game went to a shootout.
Quintero blocked two of St. Francis' three penalty shots.
Mitty converted all four tries, but his last try was initially denied by keeper Tomas Santa Gadea. However, the ball crossed the line in dots and the winner sparked wild celebrations on a cold, rainy afternoon.
โWell, it was like a fairy tale,โ Quintero said. “We were right until the end. We were leading 2-1. Giuseppe scored one of the best goals I've seen all season. In extra time we were all beaten. Penalties It was perfect because it was a final, and the match was extended as long as possible. It has to be even. Fair.
“When the final whistle blew and I knew it was going to be a penalty shootout, I knew this was my game. I had to step up.”
If Quintero hadn't stepped up just before the final whistle, there wouldn't have been a penalty kick.
After Mitty controlled the time of possession in OT, St. Francis nearly scored on the counter.
However, Quintero saved the match.
“I thought, 'This is going to be the last play of the game,'” Quintero said. “When he saw him running down, he thought, 'What can I do?'” What can he do one-on-one? 'I just decided to go big and spread myself out, and luckily I saved it on my back. It hit me in the back leg. โ
Was it within the goal?
โI think it almost went in,โ the keeper added.
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