The home team appeared equal parts physically drained and upset as it pondered what might have been. The visiting team also seemed to carry the same disposition.

On an occasion where the Johnson and Brandeis boys soccer teams had a spotlight to themselves, with district supremacy potentially hanging in the balance, their showdown lived up to the billing.

With each capitalizing on fortuitous bounces and clutch goalkeeping, and enduring some misfortune moments, Johnson and Brandeis played to a 1-1 draw in a District 28-6A game at Blossom Athletic Center on Monday.

The outcome leaves Johnson (11-4-3, 8-0-3) and Brandeis (9-3-4, 8-1-3) tied for first place in league play. Johnson holds the tiebreaker thanks to a 1-0 triumph on Jan. 26.

“It’s one of those weird feelings that you can’t be mad, but you can’t be happy, either,” Brandeis coach Brian Maher said. “If the kids can regroup — and that’s the hard thing, because we put all of our eggs in 16-, 17-year-old kids, and it’s an emotionally tough thing.”

Before a sizeable crowd, which included former Brandeis standout forward Pato Botello Faz, the centerpiece of the Broncos’ 2014 and 2015 Region IV-6A tournament teams who now plays for Las Vegas Lights FC of United Soccer League Championship (he is sidelined with a torn left Achilles), the teams mustered all the scoring in the latter stages of the opening half.

Brandeis struck first as Aiden Williams gathered the ricochet of a shot by teammate Daniel Sartorio that hit off a Johnson defender and put in a volley with 19 1/2 minutes left.

Ten minutes later, Johnson knotted the score at 1-1 when Rodolfo Galvan ran onto the rebound of a shot by teammate Diego Robles that Brandeis goalkeeper Manuel Gonzalez initially blocked.

“I credit my boys for the resiliency to get one back,” Johnson coach David Johnson said. “It went back and forth. That game could’ve been 4-4, 3-3. When you have two big dogs going at it, to me, it was like a heavyweight fight. A 1-1 draw, in my opinion, was fair. I think it was a good, hard match on both sides and could’ve gone either way.”

The second half was bogged down at times by fouls, but both teams had prime scoring opportunities. In the 59th minute, Sartorio had a shot hit off the crossbar. Teammate Jake Salas had a shot hit off the crossbar in the first half. Johnson had a point-blank attempt at an open net travel wide left. Other scoring chances were denied by Gonzalez and Johnson goalkeeper Andrew Laplaca, who both notched six saves.

Girls
Johnson 5, Brandeis 3: Camila Palacios scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the tying tally during an eight-minute span as the Jaguars used a late surge to rally for the win.

Johnson (16-1, 11-0) scored three times in the final 12 1/2 minutes to overcome a 3-2 deficit. Emma Ibaroudene tied it at 3-3 when she tapped in a pass from Palacios, who four minutes later put the Jaguars in the lead for good when she scored on the second of senior midfielder Ashlyn DiGioia’s two assists.

Mabry Williams converted on a penalty kick with four minutes left — her second goal in the second half — to round out the scoring. Emma Blanchette netted Johnson’s other goal in the first half, putting in a pass from Sofia Clyde as the Jaguars remained unbeaten in their last 22 district games (21-0-1) since a 2-1 setback vs. Reagan on Jan. 30, 2023.

Brandeis (4-8-2, 3-6-2) grabbed the lead with two goals in 80 seconds midway through the second half. Layla Mullaney scored her second goal, heading in Bella Meurett’s corner kick. Audrey Russell had the Broncos’ other goal.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1