East County Sports

‘Beep! Beep!’ for state men’s soccer crown

ABOVE: “The Moment of Magic” by Ali Ali Almaliki, as the Cuyamaca captain drills a 23-yard free kick in oivertime in the 3C2A state semifinals.

 

REVISED – Scoring correction by Mt. SAC.

2024 COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

 

ECS staff report

SACRAMENTO – For fans of Saturday morning cartoons in the 20th Century, you’ll love this one.

It will be the Roadrunner and the Coyote squaring off again, but the desert highway will not be the location.

The showdown will be held at American River College as the Cuyamaca College Coyotes will face the Butte College Roadrunners in a 1-game faceoff for the 3C2A state championship of men’s soccer.

On Friday (Dec. 6) in Final Four semifinals action, Cuyasmaca’s Ali Almaliki scored in the 14th minute of overtime to top Cañada College of Redwood City, 2-1, in the first contest.

The second game was a huge upset as Butte tallied the game’s lone goallate in the 87th minute to nop favored Long Beach City College.

Cuyamaca (18-4-2 overall) and Butte (18-4-4) will meet Sunday at 11 a.m. from Mt/ SAC’s Mounties Stadium.

The championship affair will be the second in schol history for Cuyamaca College in any team sport. Last season, the men’s soccer team dropped the state final to El Camino, 4-0. In both seasons, the Coyotes were seeded 10th in the Southland.

Cuyamaca (18-4-2 overall) will meet Butte College of Oroville in Sunday’s state title contest. The Roadrunners advanced after upsetting Long Beach City College, 1-0, in the 87th minutes.

Butte also captured last week’s Northern California crown in men’s cross country.

Quotes

Ali Alaliki on his game-winning goal:

Ihonestly, my No. 8, Diego Esquivel, wanted to take, the free kick, but I said to trust me this one,” said Alaliki. “Then coach Brian called for me to take it,”

“I just knew i would score and get the job done.”

Brian Aleu, Cuyamaca head ciach:

“We’ve been building the program for a while through a lot of work, a lot of recruiting and a lot of housrs on the field.”

“We have seven returning players, but we;ve embraded all of the freshman and we’ve created a new team that is even better than last year’s team.”

“Three years ago, we lost just two games, but lost early in the playoffs. Hopefully, this season we can break through.”

Game stuff

Almalik scored in the 104th minute at 103:24 on an unassisted tally.

A free kick by Ali Almaliki saw the ball lifted to the side of the seni-circle, with the ball bouncing over the Colts’ wall  beyond  the goalie’s right hand.

Said the announcer on the Live Stream broadcast, “Not many keepers in the world could get a finger-tip to that (one).”

Cuyamaca then held off a late surge by the Colts in the second 15 minutes of overtime to hang on.

The teams were level at 1-all through the first half, then there was no second-half scoring until Almalik’s ‘ winner in overtime.

Cañada opened the scoring just 81 seconds in on a marer by Noah Lake (assist Vlad Tomutiu), giving reminders to Cuyamaca of its first postseason game of the season, when Palomar scored in the first minutes to force a Coyotes comeback.

The game-tying goal came off the boot of Enrique Rodriguez (unassisted), a freshman midfielder out of Chula Vista HS, in the 34th minute at 33:52.

In goal, Coyotes goalkeeper Broward Maryan registered five shots following the early goal in his 120 minutes of action. BOXSCORE

OTHER VIEWS HERE

Summary

3C2A State Championships
At Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut
Fri., Dec. 6 – Semifinals
At American River College, Sacramento
MEN
Cuyamaca 2, Cañada 1 (OT)
Butte 1, Long Beach CC 0
WOMEN
Cypress 2, San Francisco 1
Half, 68th:  Folsom Lake 1, Saddleback 92nd

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