Thanks to the Santa Barbara boys soccer team’s solid offensive and defensive play, the Dons advanced to the second round of the CIF Division II playoffs after defeating visiting Kennedy 2-1 Friday afternoon.
Head coach Todd Heil said his team played well throughout the game but needed a little extra push to overcome Kennedy. Although the ball spent most of its time on Kennedy’s side of the field, the score was close throughout the majority of the game.
“We had the momentum and control throughout the game, it was just the question about the little extra effort that we needed to put in,” Heil said.
Despite the Dons’ (20-2-3) impressive record of shutting out 18 of its opponents in the regular season, Kennedy led 1-0 at the end of the first half.
Junior forward Christian Pardo said his team was concerned after Kennedy scored.
“It was shocking, we weren’t expecting it at all,” Pardo said. “We had our own chances to score, but we couldn’t put anything in.”
The Dons put an enormous amount of pressure on Kennedy’s defensive line in the second half, creating several scoring attempts within the first few minutes. Junior forward Justin Jimenez was finally able to put in that little extra effort that coach Heil was asking for, tying the score 1-1.
Kennedy’s defensive line further caved after Pardo scored with an assist from junior forward Luis Santana.
The Dons fell in the second round of the playoffs last year, despite being the No. 1 seed at the time. This year, as the No. 3 seed, Pardo said his team is under less stress.
“The pressure is definitely off since we’re not the No. 1 seed this year,” Pardo said. “People are looking at other teams instead of us.”
The Dons will face either Fullerton or Brea Olinda on Wednesday. Heil said he hopes that his team will continue its winning season throughout the playoffs.
“Playoffs in themselves are a lot of pressure,” Heil said. “I think if we get healthy and with a little bit of luck, we can keep on doing well.”
