Gunn boys, Paly girls can wrap up titles Gunn boys, Paly girls can wrap up titles (February 04, 2005)

Both teams are in position to control their own destiny

by Keith Peters

The Gunn boys and Palo Alto girls finally can control their own destiny in their respective SCVAL De Anza Division soccer races.

All they need to do is win.

Gunn (8-0-2, 17-1-3) received a huge boost toward its title hopes when second-place Palo Alto (6-2-1, 10-4-3) was upset by visiting Monta Vista on Wednesday, 1-0. The Titans, meanwhile, were knocking off host Lynbrook, 5-2.

Gunn can clinch the division crown today against visiting Santa Clara at 3:30 p.m. A victory would give the Titans 29 points, one point more than the Vikings can total by sweeping their final three matches - including Monday's rematch with visiting Gunn.

If Gunn and Santa Clara tie today, however, the Vikings can still steal the crown by winning their final three matches.

"The door's not completely shut, but Paly certainly helped our cause," said Gunn coach David Burgee. "It's back in our hands now."

Gunn jumped on Lynbrook quickly with Brandon Der and Alex Guzinski scoring first-half goals for a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Sam Zipperstein produced the eventual winning goal on a breakaway just into the second half. Guzinski added a penalty kick and Ian Barnett closed the scoring.

Palo Alto, meanwhile, was shockingly blanked at home in a crucial match the Vikings desperately needed to win.

"This was a tough game to lose, as we were in control of the conference," said Paly coach Don Briggs. "Now, we need help from another team (Santa Clara) against Gunn, and need to win all the remaining games for a shot at the conference title."

While the Paly boys may have lost a golden opportunity to defend their title, the Paly girls are still in the running to win another crown by beating host Los Altos, 1-0.

Los Gatos (6-0-4) still leads the division, but has only two matches remaining and at best can finish with 28 points. Palo Alto (6-0-2, 11-1-5) can finish with 32 points by winning its final four matches. Even if the Vikings lose one, they'll finish with 29 - enough for the title.

"Based on our remaining schedule (Homestead, Gunn, Mountain View and Gunn), I think it will be very hard for one of those teams to beat us," said Paly coach Jeff van Gastel. "However, it will be very important for us to score first and not get behind, as we have not been lighting up the scoring charts lately."

In other matches with playoff ramifications, the Menlo School boys (6-5-1, 10-5-3) upended second-place Sequoia, 3-2, as Kevin Brege scored twice and added an assist in a key PAL Bay Division contest Wednesday. The Knights are in fourth place with 19 points, three points behind Woodside (7-4-1) in the race for the division's final automatic CCS berth. Menlo, however, hosts first-place Westmoor today before finishing out against host Menlo-Atherton next Wednesday.

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