The Cubs bounced back in their D1 Regional Quarterfinal with a win against Del Norte High School.
Coming off a tough loss, it took the Cubs a bit of time to regain their rhythm during Tuesday afternoon’s game. In the first half, Loyola creates several offensive opportunities against the clearly weaker Del Norte opponent, but even then, the Cubs have a tough time finishing. After ending the first half scoreless Loyola gets it going right from the second-half whistle.
One minute into the second, Liam Hook leads the Loyola offense downfield. Hook finds junior Spencer Roberts on his far-right, Roberts connects and scores! (1-0). Ten minutes later though, off a lucky counter attack, Del Norte finds the ball and scores to tie it up, 1-1. The second half went to the last minute. Coming downfield in a one against two-run, Spencer Roberts takes a shot from the outer right side of the Del Norte box. It looks like a goal, but the ball taps the post. The ref blows his whistle, and the game goes to “golden goal.”
The Cubs’ resilience paid off despite more unlucky offensive opportunities. Five minutes into “golden goal,” Doody finds Rogers who finds Roberts on the far post. Roberts makes a soft touch and puts it in the back, 2-1 Cubs!
The Cubs won't have too much time to celebrate their quarterfinal victory as they head down to Torrey Pines for the semis just a day later. In a showcase tournament earlier in the season, the Cubs tied Torrey Pines 1-1. It'll be a tough one, but the Cubs are excited for the challenge.