Stanton Upsets Undefeated Mandarin, Punches Ticket to Gateway Conference Final
Fabrizio Gowdy | Jan. 16, 2020 | Sports
The Stanton College Preparatory School varsity boys soccer team handed Mandarin High School its first loss of the season Wednesday night in an intense 1-0 game at Stanton.
With a sizable crowd and an opportunity to advance to the Gateway Conference championship game on the line, the game was full of fouls and trash talk.
“This isn’t the English Premier League. You have to protect the players, and in the first minute Brandon [Diaz] got thrown down,” said Stanton head Coach Stone, who was not pleased with the officiating, but was encouraged by the way his team was holding its own against a nationally ranked Mandarin squad.
Stanton senior goalkeeper Andrew Zalewa made the best defensive play of the scoreless first half when he deflected a Mandarin shot on goal. Meanwhile, senior midfielder Daniel Poorian nearly gave Stanton a lead when his shot barely sailed over the crossbar with 13 seconds to play in the half. Stanton’s offensive attack, headed up by strikers like junior Brandon Diaz and senior Mahmoud Elbatouty, was instrumental in keeping Mandarin at bay..
“Last time we played Mandarin, we felt like it didn’t go our way. We played with the same intensity this time, but we got one in the back of the net,” said senior striker Mahmoud Elbatouty.
The opening moments of the second half were as much of a defensive struggle as the first half, but the Blue Devils scored a huge breakthrough in the 49th minute. After being awarded a free kick near midfield, junior defensive back Ethan Alesch booted the ball into the box, where Elbatouty found the back of the net and gave Stanton the lead.
“It was kind of a lucky goal, but we earned it. We worked for it,” said Coach Stone.
As the second half progressed, Mandarin became increasingly desperate for an equalizing goal. The final few moments consisted of Stanton clinging to its lead as Mandarin frantically tried to score. Zalewa made several clutch saves down the stretch, while Stanton’s big three defensive backs, juniors Chris Russel, Ryan Dreibelbis, and Ethan Alesch, cleared the ball and held Mandarin to a shutout, securing a spot in the championship match.
“They’re a good team, but we’re on to the finals,” said Elbatouty.
With the victory, Stanton eliminates Mandarin, ranked 4th in the state and 14th in the nation by MaxPreps, from the Gateway Conference Tournament and advances to play Fletcher High School at home Jan. 17. Wednesday’s result snaps a four-game losing streak against Mandarin, whom Stanton has gone 0-6-1 against in the previous seven meetings. The last time Stanton beat Mandarin was over four years ago, on Jan. 9, 2015.