Central’s comeback bid falls short in CIF Division II Semifinals
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - The Central Spartans were hoping to defend home turf and keep their championship dreams alive Tuesday night, hosting Otay Ranch in the CIF Division II semifinals.
Head coach Alonso Garcia’s squad entered the matchup riding the momentum of an incredible quarterfinal comeback. Meanwhile, the 12-seeded Mustangs had been on a magical run of their own, knocking off higher seeds to reach the semis.
Otay Ranch wasted little time making noise.
In a tight 2-1 match early on, Central had a golden opportunity to grab the lead, but Mustangs goalkeeper Joseph Pembleton came up big, collecting the ball and preserving the advantage.
Moments later, Otay Ranch struck again. Elvis Villalva made a smooth move to the outside, beat the keeper, and found the back of the net to extend the lead to 3-1. Once again, Central found itself trailing by two goals in the first half — and in need of another comeback.
The Spartans did get a defensive spark. Emilio Gonzalez chased down his opponent and absorbed a shot straight to the chest, keeping the deficit at two and preventing further damage before halftime.
But Villalva stayed hot. He added another goal as part of a five-goal night for the Mustangs, putting Central in an even deeper hole.
The Spartans refused to quit, rallying with three second-half goals to make things interesting. However, the comeback effort fell just short. Otay Ranch held on for a 5-4 win, ending Central’s season in the Division II semifinals.
Despite the loss, it was another strong postseason showing for the Spartans, who will regroup with their sights set on returning to the CIF State Championship stage next year.
