Vikings Pound Panthers to Finish 11-1-1 in Coast

Rudy Castro draws a crowd against Hartnell
Rudy Castro draws a crowd against Hartnell

A six-minute, three-goal explosion fueled the West Valley men's soccer team's 4-1 win over Hartnell Tuesday at Dick Schwendinger Field. The Vikings (15-2-2, 11-1-1 Coast) found themselves in unfamiliar territory early as the Panthers (12-3-3, 8-2-3) struck for a goal at 18". The lead would last only a minute as Alexis Rincon scored off a Rodolfo Castro helper for the equalizer. The score remained 1-1 until Ignacio Ponce (Castro assist), Castro (Rincon) and Leo Fernandez (Castro) lit up the scoreboard with goals in the 61st, 64th and 67th minutes. Viking keeper Yannick Lamers stopped four Panther shots to record his 13th win of 2018. Second-seeded West Valley hosts Napa Valley (7-8-3) in Saturday's opening round of the CCCAA NorCal playoffs. Kickoff is 2:00pm.