BOYS SOCCER: Milpitas Blanked by Palo Alto in CCS Playoff Opener

The Score: Palo Alto 2, Milpitas 0.

The Star: Milpitas senior keeper Zach Ebright finished the game with six saves, one more impressive than the next. The Trojans net minder certainly went out in style, despite the end result in the Central Coast Section Division I Boys Soccer first round playoff matchup Wednesday night at Milpitas High.

However, Palo Alto senior forward John Richardson’s impact became the main thorn in the host team’s side. Richardson burst through the middle of the field and cranked a hot shot towards the Milpitas net. A spectacular stop, one of several on the night for Milpitas High keeper Ebright, was the only thing that prevented the Paly striker from breaking up the scoreless tie four minutes into the second half of play. A minute later, Richardson scored off a penalty kick shot to put his team ahead,1-0.

The Turning Point: All even going into the half, Palo Alto came out with some renewed vigor in the second 40 minutes. Playing with some extra gusto to their game, the Vikings quickly opened up the field and starting applying some heavy pressure towards the Trojans net. A costly hand ball call in the goalie box against Milpitas set up the game’s first goal. Richardson took the penalty shot and buried it into the top left corner of the cage.

The Quote: “This was personally probably my best game,” Milpitas goalie Zach Ebright said after the 2-0 loss to Palo Alto. “Size definitely plays a big factor in soccer. They have a big team and we just don’t have very much size to match them. I thought the game was a lot closer than the last time we played them.”

 What's Next? Milpitas finished the season with a 12-7-2 record overall. The Trojans won the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division title.

Palo Alto, the No. 6 seed in the Division I bracket, will square off against No. 3 seed Menlo-Atherton (13-3-2) on Saturday. The game time and venue has not been determined yet. M-A defeated Paly 2-0 in non-league play.

Bottom Line: Paly stayed the course and used its superior size in the midfield to control the ball and the pace throughout. Milpitas’ speedy forwards didn’t make their usual impact because they couldn’t keep hold of possession for long enough to attack the Vikings defense. Seniors Andrew Shin and Ramiro Ceja both had juicy scoring chances in the second half, but both shots ended up outside of the visitors net. Ceja led the Trojans in scoring during his superb senior season.