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A historic necktie. Crystal Springs Uplands Boys football head his coach Roberto Miranda called out Friday afternoon in his 1-1 final for the Griffons at his school in Menlo.
he wasn’t kidding. The Griffons came into play after his 20th consecutive loss to Menlo — dating back to his 2–2 draw in 2011–12 — earlier this season when West Bay began his league play. including his 3-2 loss to the .
“For me, some draws feel like losses and some draws feel like wins,” Miranda said. “This is historic Thailand. I am very proud of my sons.”
However, Crystal (4-3-1 WBAL, 8-4-1 overall) nearly won. Not only did the Gryphons lead 1–0 at half time, but in the 78th minute he had two rapid fire shots on goal and had a great chance to take the lead. Only Menlo goalkeeper Ben Bishop’s play kept the draw.
The junior goalkeeper ran to the post to slap Crystal forward Cameron Hicks’ charge attempt. Bishop’s save bounced back in midfield, where he quickly adjusted as Crystal’s sophomore Rohan Dalal picked up the rebound and shot right on goal. Bishop took his foot off and made his second save in full overtime.
“I had to chase the ball. It was all in traffic and I felt like I had to get there and put my body on the line and make the save,” Bishop said.
“The goalkeeper made a great save,” Dalal said. “Had it been put elsewhere, I think it could have been a win. It’s a great save.”
Bishop said Crystal’s first goal learned a lesson from a similar rebound. Crystal sent the ball into the box, where junior Andrés Bisgow headed it into goal. Bishop deflected his first attempt, but Visgard headed in after it.
“You always have to chase rebounds,” said Bishop. “Because if you don’t chase the rebound, a lot of the time it comes back. That’s what happened with the first goal.”
Menlo (6-1-1, 7-5-1) were trailing in the first half, but it didn’t take long to level after the break.
The Knights intercepted in midfield and sent the ball for a quick tap into the box at the tempo of junior Eric Schmidtke. His shot was denied by Crystal goaltender Ellie Bodner, but the loose ball bounced in traffic from Menlo Jr.’s Alessandro Velázquez, who played a soft roller towards the back post. The shot hit the post and equalized.
“We came out with a little fire, and it was nice to see,” said Menlo head coach Daniel Hicker. “So I’m really proud of how we responded.”
Menlo had a chance to win in the final minutes. Knights scored his kick in the corner, topped it and chipped his shot into the frame. But Crystal’s sophomore goalkeeper climbed the ladder to snatch a shot out of the air as Schmidtke was squeezing him out.
“He’s very confident in himself and his abilities and isn’t afraid,” said Miranda. He’s got this attitude, this winning mentality and he’ll try to do everything he can to stop goals.”
The draw gave Menlo their third consecutive win.
“Obviously we wanted to come out with a win and three points,” Hicker said. “But we’ll take it. And think of these types of games as postseason prep. I think you should have evaluated, but … just make sure you’re pushed a little bit and know how to push back or know you can handle situations like that.”
Hicker is in his first year as Menlo’s head coach. He spent the last two years at Columbus where he served as director of crew performances and has an extensive career in Major League football. Prior to that, San Jose Athletic He was Head of Performance at Earthquakes. He has coached at the club, semi-pro and college level, including being his volunteer assistant at the University of Santa Clara from 2012 to 2015.
Menlo is his first high school coaching position. Also on the Menlo staff is assistant coach Stephanie Wieger, wife of Hicker, who played for Cal from 2004 to 2007.
“I think it’s a good group and it’s time to focus on developing the program,” Hicker said. “We want to develop a winning culture. We obviously want to win games and we also want to develop a winning culture.”
Miranda is in her 5th year with Crystal, and the Gryphon is finally on the rise. It was just two years before Crystal had her 9-0 and her 10-2 loss to Menlo. Last year, in the first of his two matchups between the two sides, the Gryphons turned a corner and he took a 1-0 lead early in the second half before losing 2-1.
“They try to remember it and never do it again,” Miranda said. “They pretty much had it.”
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