Boys' soccer beats South Torrance, 2-1

Samo boys' soccer solidified its position in the second round of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) with a hard fought win against South Torrance on Thursday, February 20. The final score was 2-1.South Torrance is not an unfamiliar opponent for Samo, so the team had some idea of what to expect coming into the playoff game. Samo had played the team in a pre-season tournament and pulled out a win in penalty kicks after tying the game. According to goalie Josh Lettiere ('14), Samo knew that South Torrance was a physical team and that coming into the playoffs, this was going to be the first of many difficult games."We treated them like any other opponent, we respected and didn't underestimate them," Miles Gerami ('14) said. "We felt that we needed to go out in front of our crowd and prove to ourselves that we are worth to be in CIF."Samo midfielder Michele Lauto ('14) put away a goal about 20 minutes into the first half, raising Samo's spirits and giving it a 1-0 lead going into the second half.The game was extremely high paced with Samo's defense focusing on winning the ball out of the air and playing wide to their outside defenders and midfielders. From the moment the whistle sounded, both teams were playing at a very fast pace. About 25 minutes into the second half, South Torrance's pressure broke down the Samo defense and the team scored, tying up the game."That goal put South back in the game and we had to change our mental game," Javier Lopez ('14) said. "We had to fight harder and do everything a lot quicker. By doing that we were able to break down the other team."With overtime and penalty kicks becoming more and more of a certainty in the minds of the players, coaches and fans, Samo finally caught a break. Forward Roberto Alvarez ('14) received a through ball creating a one-on-one with the keeper with a defender right on his back. When the keeper came out, all three players collided and a penalty was called because of the illegal manner in which the keeper ran into Alvarez.Forward Jason Bautista ('14) stepped up to take the kick and hit a hard left footed shot into the left hand side of the net. The penalty put Samo back in the lead with five minutes left in the game. Despite South Torrance's efforts, it was not able to come back and Samo won the game 2-1, advancing  into the second round of CIF."Our first round game was difficult and we know it only gets harder the further we advance in playoffs," Josh Lettiere ('14) said. "We want to keep the same intensity that we played with today. In the huddle we always talk about playing with no regrets, and that is what we want to continue to do."friosfetchko@thesamohi.com