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Published on 01/05/1998 All articles from this issue

St. Francis is alive and kicking in the WCAL

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By Pete Borello

Town Crier Staff Writer

St. Francis High boys soccer coach Sal Chavez admits he got a little nervous early in the second half of last Thursday's game against St. Ignatius. At the 11-minute mark, the visiting Wildcats tied the game at 1-1 and Chavez could feel the momentum starting to swing.

But his players didn't share his anxiety. Standout striker Dan Vukosa sauntered up to the Chavez and tried to put his mind at ease.

"He told me: 'Don't worry coach, we'll get it back,'" Chavez said.

And that's exactly what they did. The Lancers scored three goals in the next 17 minutes to come away with a 4-1 win.

Midfielder Mike Bustos scored what proved to be the game winner and Vukosa added two more goals for good measure. Vukosa, a junior, leads the team in scoring with four goals in five league games.

St. Francis' first goal came on a wild sequence in the opening minutes of the first half. A shot by Alberto Cabanas ricocheted off the diving St. Ignatius goalkeeper and Noe Gil-Ochoa tapped the ball into the net.

"We were lucky on that one," Chavez said.

The Lancers have been lucky and good this season. They are now 1-2-2 in West Catholic Athletic League play and 4-4-5 overall. The Lancers host Mitty tomorrow at 3:15 p.m.

St. Francis should come into the game with a good deal of confidence after the way it played last week. Not only did the Lancers beat St. Ignatius (3-2 league, 4-2-3 overall), but also tied Bellarmine.

The Bells came into the Jan. 6 match with a 10-0 overall record and the No. 1 ranking in the Central Coast Section. But solid defense and goals by Charles Clark and Adam Brown allowed St. Francis to blemish the visitors' perfect mark.

"That was a big game and the team was excited by the way it played," said Chavez.

Although the Lancers play in a strong league and have only four seniors, the coach thinks they can make a run at the playoffs.

"We have the talent," Chavez said. "It's just a matter of them believing in themselves."

Last week may have been a sign that the Lancers do believe.