MORENO VALLEY — It was shaping up to be a pretty rotten Senior Night for the Valley View boys soccer team.
Hemet had a three-goal lead and was less than 20 minutes away from clinching at least a share of the Ivy League championship Thursday evening, but Valley View responded with three goals in a span of seven minutes to earn a 3-3 draw.
“Even down 3-0, I had hope and told the guys we still have plenty of time,” Eagles coach Jose Melgoza said.
Hemet (11-2-6, 3-1-2 in league) took a lead in the 28th minute, when center back Moises Amezquita Cervantes hammered a free kick from more than 60 yards away from the goal. Amezquita Cervantes got plenty of power behind the shot, and the wind carried the ball the rest of the way and right into the top left corner of the goal to put the Bulldogs in front in spectacular fashion.
The Bulldogs weathered through some shaky defensive moments during the opening minutes of the second half before extending their advantage. Adrian Medrano’s perfectly-placed pass played Saul Cardenas through the net for a goal in the 48th minute, and Andres Reyes Ramirez headed in a corner kick from Medrano in the 55th minute.
“These guys are hungry, and we showed exactly what we are capable of doing,” Hemet coach Brian Olide said of the 3-0 lead.
Valley View (8-5-4, 4-1-2) managed only one shot on target during the first 60 minutes of the match, and that came in the first minute of the second half. Luis Alvarez got the comeback started for the Eagles in the 63rd minute, when he curled a free kick from approximately 25 yards away around the Hemet wall and inside the near post.
Alvarez scored again three minutes later, as he headed in a free kick from the far corner by Paolo Tostado.
“That free kick got us hyped up, and then my second goal came,” Alvarez said. “Everything just kept on building up.”
In the 70th minute, Hemet keeper Rodolpho Esparza collided with a Valley View player while trying to punch the ball out of the penalty area. A whistle was not blown, however, and Richard Corona found the open net to bring the Eagles level.
“Once we got one, the momentum really started to change,” Melgoza said. “It all comes down to belief. Our kids believed.”
Hemet almost regained the lead in the 74th minute, but Ranferi Cardenas’ header from a corner kick sailed over the crossbar.
Valley View had two opportunities in the final minutes to win the match. Andres Carballo made a run at the goal, but Esparza made a sliding stop to block the shot. Victor Gutierrez had a chance during stoppage time, but his shot sailed over the bar.
“It wasn’t looking good for a while. We didn’t want to go out that way, especially on our Senior Night,” Alvarez explained. “We all came together and decided we were going to do everything possible to win it.”
Olide shouldered the blame for Thursday’s result, saying he probably made too many substitutions late in the match. Despite the outcome, however, Olide is extremely proud of how his team has performed this season. Hemet won the Sunbelt League championship last year. That led to a bump up to the Ivy League, the top tier of the Raincross Conference.
“We molded a team together that wants to compete at the top levels, and they are doing that,” Olide said. “Here we are.”
Melgoza is also proud of his squad for being in a position to win the program’s third straight league title.
“We graduated 18 seniors from last year’s team, so this is a completely new group for me,” Melgoza said. “So, it’s a rebuilding year for us, but these kids have the heart and pride to keep this program going strong. And teams know that whenever you play Valley View, you are going to have to play us tough for 80 minutes to get a result.”
Hemet still has two league matches remaining, at home Tuesday against Moreno Valley and at Riverside Poly on Thursday.
Valley View will close out the regular season on the road Tuesday at North.