Charlie Stock scored two goals to boost the Scotts Valley boys soccer team over Aptos High School, 2-1, on Friday, Jan. 18.
The game, a home contest for the Falcons, was played at Aptos High because of poor field conditions at Scotts Valley. If that weren’t challenge enough, the Falcons played with only a single substitute because of illness and injury.
But it didn’t matter to the Falcons.
Stock scored in the 35th minute when Noah Carl found him outside the box. Stock punched the ball into the upper right corner of the net in the 35th minute off a pass from Noah Carl. But Stock was injured when the Mariners’ goalie connected with his leg.
Jack Lavery re-entered the game, after having left earlier with a shoulder injury.
The Mariners answered in the 43rd minute to tie the score 1-1 at halftime.
Scotts Valley’s Cameron Hart, sick with the flu, then showed up to add a man to the bench. And it wasn’t long before he entered the game, when Matthew Josselyn had to take a break with a bloody nose.
But Josselyn recovered quickly, and Hart was able to rest on the bench.
In the 71st minute, Stock — who had returned to the game — was fouled in the box.
He got his revenge on the goalie by drilling the kick into the net for the 2-1 advantage.
As the game intensified, Lavery went down again with a dislocated shoulder, and Hart stepped back onto the field.
Then with less than three minutes to play, the Mariners earned themselves a penalty kick when one of their players was fouled in the box.
But Scotts Valley keeper Ryan Jensen blocked the shot, and defender Dylan Kuo launched the ball out of Falcon territory to preserve the lead.
The Falcons improved to 3-2 in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play, while Aptos fell to 1-3.
The Falcons played after press time Wednesday, Jan. 23, at St. Francis and next play at Harbor High School at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25.
