Daniel Ochoa pulled his jersey over his head.
Anthony Calvo dropped to the ground and buried his face in his hands.
Jose Ramirez stared straight ahead, totally shocked at what had just taken place.
For the second straight year, Central Valley High School's varsity boys soccer team lost in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game.
Vista del Lago stormed back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to defeat the Hawks 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Lincoln High School's Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Central Valley came oh-so-close to winning its first section title and completing its first undefeated season.
"They took something great from us and we can't do anything about it," said Ramirez, a fourth-year starter and one of the Hawks' three captains. "It's devastating."
Central Valley lost despite thoroughly dominating the Eagles in the first half.
In the opening minute, Ochoa stole a pass from a Vista del Lago defender and found a wide-open Ramirez. Jose blasted a 15-yard right-footed shot into the lower-left corner of the goal.
Ochoa tallied his 26th goal of the season off a failed clearance in the 24th minute.
Daniel finished from 8 yards out with his left foot.
Ramirez, Ochoa and their Hawks teammates had smiles on their faces before the start of the second half.
Ahead comfortably, Central Valley strayed away from its game plan.
The Hawks allowed three unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes.
Central Valley had to play the final 23-plus minutes without senior midfielder Gerardo Cazares.
Cazares was assessed a yellow card, his first of the contest, for a hard challenge. Gerardo should have been allowed to return following a five-minute break. After talking with a line judge, the head official ruled Cazares accumulated two yellow cards and was ejected from the game.
"I told him to check his book," said Gerardo, who was voted Western Athletic Conference MVP during the regular season. "I only got one card. He warned me a couple of times. It's frustrating. I feel cheated."
"It hurt not having him on the field," Central Valley head coach Omar Leon said. "He sets the tone. He has experience."
Ryan Curcio helped swing the momentum in Vista del Lago's favor with back-to-back goals.
He put back a free kick and slotted a close-range shot past Hawk Andres Cazarez.
Jake Murphy's sliding shot from 10 yards away broke a 2-2 tie with 3:50 to play.
Five minutes earlier, Ochoa nearly gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead. His 20-yard shot deflected off the right post.
Central Valley had its section-title hopes dashed in stunning fashion.
"I'm still shocked," Cazares said. "I can't believe we lost. I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
"It just hurts," Leon added. "We had a really good season until the last game. We pretty much gave the game away. We lost concentration."
The Hawks posted a 16-1-2 overall record and finished in first place in the WAC standings (8-0-2) in 2010.
Central Valley, which won back-to-back Valley Oak League titles in 2009 and 2008, also participated in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
The Hawks lost 2-0 to crosstown rival Ceres High in the Division IV finals last year.
Vista de Lago finished 16-1-1 on the year and captured the Sierra Valley Conference crown (10-0-2) during the regular season.
Anthony Calvo dropped to the ground and buried his face in his hands.
Jose Ramirez stared straight ahead, totally shocked at what had just taken place.
For the second straight year, Central Valley High School's varsity boys soccer team lost in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game.
Vista del Lago stormed back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to defeat the Hawks 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Lincoln High School's Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Central Valley came oh-so-close to winning its first section title and completing its first undefeated season.
"They took something great from us and we can't do anything about it," said Ramirez, a fourth-year starter and one of the Hawks' three captains. "It's devastating."
Central Valley lost despite thoroughly dominating the Eagles in the first half.
In the opening minute, Ochoa stole a pass from a Vista del Lago defender and found a wide-open Ramirez. Jose blasted a 15-yard right-footed shot into the lower-left corner of the goal.
Ochoa tallied his 26th goal of the season off a failed clearance in the 24th minute.
Daniel finished from 8 yards out with his left foot.
Ramirez, Ochoa and their Hawks teammates had smiles on their faces before the start of the second half.
Ahead comfortably, Central Valley strayed away from its game plan.
The Hawks allowed three unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes.
Central Valley had to play the final 23-plus minutes without senior midfielder Gerardo Cazares.
Cazares was assessed a yellow card, his first of the contest, for a hard challenge. Gerardo should have been allowed to return following a five-minute break. After talking with a line judge, the head official ruled Cazares accumulated two yellow cards and was ejected from the game.
"I told him to check his book," said Gerardo, who was voted Western Athletic Conference MVP during the regular season. "I only got one card. He warned me a couple of times. It's frustrating. I feel cheated."
"It hurt not having him on the field," Central Valley head coach Omar Leon said. "He sets the tone. He has experience."
Ryan Curcio helped swing the momentum in Vista del Lago's favor with back-to-back goals.
He put back a free kick and slotted a close-range shot past Hawk Andres Cazarez.
Jake Murphy's sliding shot from 10 yards away broke a 2-2 tie with 3:50 to play.
Five minutes earlier, Ochoa nearly gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead. His 20-yard shot deflected off the right post.
Central Valley had its section-title hopes dashed in stunning fashion.
"I'm still shocked," Cazares said. "I can't believe we lost. I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
"It just hurts," Leon added. "We had a really good season until the last game. We pretty much gave the game away. We lost concentration."
The Hawks posted a 16-1-2 overall record and finished in first place in the WAC standings (8-0-2) in 2010.
Central Valley, which won back-to-back Valley Oak League titles in 2009 and 2008, also participated in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
The Hawks lost 2-0 to crosstown rival Ceres High in the Division IV finals last year.
Vista de Lago finished 16-1-1 on the year and captured the Sierra Valley Conference crown (10-0-2) during the regular season.
