It took two overtime periods for the Turlock Fire Elite Boys U-17 Soccer team to lose 4-3 in a penalty shootout to Santa Clara Sporting in the semifinal match of the State Cup on Saturday, in a matchup of the two highest ranking teams in Northern California — with Santa Clara also holding down the No. 1 spot in the country, according to Turlock’s Mark Selby.
Turlock was down 3-0 before Jose Acosta scored a late first-half score, making the deficit manageable.
In the second half, Brady Taylor knocked in a penalty kick after Jose Barajas was tackled deep inside scoring position. Then, Jose Ortega rebounded a missed shot from Ethan Tait to make it 3-3. The game was eventually settled on penalty kicks, as Santa won that battle 4-3.
Santa Clara went on to win the championship game with an easy 3-0 triumph over De Anza Force Blue.
