Despite ample opportunities and an onslaught on the opposing goal in the second half, the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community Day School Hawks couldn't put the ball in the net, losing in the soccer state championship finals to the Vicki A. Romero High School Jaguars, 2-0, Nov. 3 at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix.
"We're really excited," said Jaguars first-year head coach Clete Hargrave, who received a Gatorade bath from his players while talking to Jewish News. "The boys are very good. They're back-to-back state champs now."
The Hawks' biggest chance to score came on a corner kick; captain Gabi Wasserman had an open header on goal, but the Jaguar goalie made the save of the game, leaping up and tipping the ball with one hand over the top of the crossbar.
In the first half, the Jaguars goalie attacked the ball with his hands outside of the penalty box while Hawks forward Yarden Finberg was on a breakaway, resulting in an automatic yellow card for the keeper and a direct kick from 20 feet. By CAA (Charter Athletic Association) rules, a yellow card requires an automatic substitution. Jess Schwartz played against Vicki Romero's backup goalkeeper for about five minutes but was unable to capitalize.
"When you play a playoff game, kids are nervous," said Hawks head coach Amir Eden. "There are some kids where this is their last game. There's a lot of pressure.
"The first half we had a lot of opportunities, the second half as well. In the first half we had at least two (shots) that we call '100-percent goals,' but just because of pressure, we didn't make (them). It's part of the game."
The Jaguars' goals were scored by freshman Luis Rivas and sophomore Edgar Vazques, both in the second half, one early on and one with about 15 minutes left.
Once the Jaguars took the lead, complaints could be heard from the Jess Schwartz sideline that the Vicki Romero players were wasting time by faking injuries. Because the teams only had the field for a limited time, both knew going into the game that little or no stoppage time would be allotted, and that if regulation ended in a tie, the game would go straight into a shootout without an overtime.
All four Jaguar players who were injured during the game did not need substitutes; of the three who were hurt after Vicki Romero took the lead, none had a noticeable limp. No Jess Schwartz players suffered injuries.
"I think everyone was trying hard and they were kind of kicking each other in the shins a little bit, and we were not feeling so good, I guess," said Hargrave.
"Tempers were up," said Wasserman. "If we were up 2-0, we would have slowed down with the ball. It's part of the game, slowing down and having the other team yell at you."
Despite the loss and the frustration, it was Jess Schwartz's first-ever appearance in a state championship game in any sport since the school's inception in 2001. Similarly, their 5-2-1 in-conference regular-season record earned them their first-ever CAA conference title. They were 7-2-1 overall heading into the playoffs. The CAA includes about 40 charter and private schools in Arizona; the Varsity Boys Soccer Division consists of eight schools.
Eden talked about the team's vast improvement over the course of two seasons; last season Metro Tech High School, which has nearly 2,000 students, defeated the Hawks 9-1. This season Jess Schwartz, which has about 85 students in grades 9-12, beat them, 4-1.
Wasserman attributed the turnaround not to an increase in talent, but to better teamwork on the field.
"I'm really proud of the team," he said. "I'm a senior. It's great to go out this year going to the championship."
