Sanford Spivey has put the Santa Barbara boys soccer team on his back in the CIF Division 1 soccer playoffs.
Spivey scored in the fifth minute of the second 10-minute golden-goal overtime period to give the Dons a 1-0 victory in a second-round match at Los Alamitos on Wednesday.
“He’s making up for lost time,” Santa Barbara coach Todd Heil said of the Boston University-bound Spivey, who recorded a hat trick in the first-round win. He missed last year’s playoff run to the CIF Division 2 title with a knee injury.
“He had a tremendous game,” Heil added.
On the goal, Heil said Spivey took on two players and had another draped on his back when he unleashed a 20-yard shot that beat the Los Alamitos goalkeeper to the far post.
Heil said Los Alamitos was a “frustrating team to play.” The Griffins, who handed No. 1 Edison its only loss this season, were a disciplined and organized team that played for the counterattack. Santa Barbara outshot them 10-5 and had an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Tyler Schleich, Spivey’s running mate in the midfield, played a strong game, as did the Dons’ back line of Nico Comati, Tony Alvaro, Spencer Pritchard and Copper Allebrand, said Heil.
It was the second straight shutout in the playoffs for the Dons and goalkeeper Miguel Solis, who made two saves.
The Dons (18-5-3) are back on the road on Friday, traveling to defending Division 1 champion JSerra in San Juan Capistrano. JSerra knocked off Milikan 3-2 on Wednesday.
