Livingston outlasts Pacheco for WAC boys soccer crown

As the final whistle blew, the Livingston High School soccer team’s bench exploded onto the pitch.

They weren’t alone.

Cheerleaders, parents and fans all wanted a part of a celebration that was 30 years in the making. The Wolves last won a soccer crown in the 1980s, but that streak ended Monday night with a 3-2 victory over Pacheco that clinched the Western Athletic Conference championship.

“This is awesome for the kids, and to do it on senior night,” Livingston coach Art Pulido said. “Livingston hasn’t won a boys soccer title since the early ’80s, so this means a lot to these kids. It’s even more special that they got to do it in front of a big crowd like this.”

Livingston (13-5-1, 10-1 WAC) entered the contest with a three-point edge on Pacheco (17-6, 8-3 WAC). The Wolves could still have split the title with a loss, but with a trip to Patterson looming on the final day of the regular season, Livingston didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

It showed in the fast start as the Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 lead 13 minutes into the contest.

Enrique Medina got the wild first half going, scoring on a free kick four minutes in. The senior sent a dipping ball toward the near post from 30 yards out. The shot kicked off the damp turf and glanced off Pacheco backup goalkeeper Jesus Lopez and into the net. Panthers starter Alexis Flores Preciado hurt himself during warmups, forcing the sophomore into the game.

“That was somewhat the plan,” Medina said of his bouncing free kick. “I was trying to get the ball to knuckle, so I’ll take it.

“Getting some confidence going early was big for us. Winning this one on senior night was important. It takes all the pressure off of our last game.”

Chris Gonzalez doubled the Livingston lead nine minutes later, heading home a corner kick at the back door to make it 2-0.

Delighted as Pulido was with the start, he tried hard to calm his players down, knowing considerable time remained and that Pacheco would eventually answer.

The Panthers’ Armando Sandoval did in the 15th minute, working a nice give-and-go from the top of the 18 and slotting a far-post shot under a charging Marco Sobrevilla (five saves) to make it 2-1.

Luis Cervantes provided the Wolves’ answer, hauling in a ball about 25 yards out and blasting a left-footed, bouncing shot to the far post to make it 3-1. Pacheco outshot Livingston 12-5 in the opening half, but the Wolves managed to cash in on three of them.

Brian Nevarez sent the Panthers into the break with some momentum, drawing and converting a penalty kick in the 35th minute to trim the lead to 3-2.

There wasn’t a person in the stadium who thought the 3-2 score would stand after the free-flowing opening half, but both teams made effective defensive adjustments. Livingston’s biggest move was placing senior Abhishek Singh in Nevarez’s back pocket after the break.

“(Nevarez) is a special player, and we had to do something to try and slow him down,” Pulido said. ”

The break-neck pace of the opening half carried into the second, but with both defenses shored up, the scoring chances weren’t as prevalent.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Livingston outlasts Pacheco for WAC boys soccer crown."