SAN JOSE — Tension filled the Hawks’ bench as Alejandro Ramirez stepped up for his penalty kick. He headed towards the ball, cocked back his foot, and exploded through the ball. He missed.
A collective sigh whipped through the sidelines. Slow, steady applause followed in support of the effort. But nothing could mask the dismay of a failed last gasp.
The final whistle sounded different for the Hawks on Oct. 3. For the first time this season, they walked off the pitch defeated, their five-game win streak snapped in a scrappy 2-0 loss to Evergreen Valley.
The night was loud and chippy, marked by nearly a dozen yellow cards and frequent stoppages. One Hawk was ejected.
This wasn’t just the end of a five-game win streak. It was a wake-up call for the upcoming grind of Coast Conference-North play.
“Coach told us it was going to be a mental battle,” said team captain Arteen Arianmanesh, who is tied for the team lead with 15 points. “This adversity is good for the team. You can’t get used to winning for so long and get overconfident.”
Las Positas (9-2-1, 2-1 Coast Conference) had rolled through September, scoring 34 goals and posting seven shutouts. But their last three games — including a physical 1-0 win at Ohlone — have shown a much tougher side to conference play.
Evergreen’s physical style presented a new kind of challenge for the Hawks— one they hadn’t yet faced this season.
“We are not used to that,” head coach Andrew Cumbo said. “We haven’t played a team that’s that physical.”
The following Tuesday, the Hawks were shut out by De Anza, adding another loss to their season total.
While the losses were frustrating, it may prove valuable for the Hawks’ postseason ambitions. For a team aiming to make a deep playoff run, this kind of difficulty could be beneficial. Playing in one of California’s toughest conferences forces Las Positas to stay sharp, keep their composure, and avoid overconfidence.
The Hawks are 2-1 in conference with 10 games remaining. Last season, they finished 5-5-3 in the conference.
Tuesday’s loss served as a reminder of just how messy conference play can get. Teams are more physical, more focused, and often singularly driven to knock off contenders.
They’ve already proven what they’re capable of — 34 goals, seven shutouts, five consecutive at one point, and an unbeaten record at home.
The major part of LPC’s shutouts is goalie Sahib Sandhu, who leads the Coast-South division in goals against average with 0.65. Although Sandhu may get most of the credit for the doughnut in the box score, Sandhu credits his teammates for setting him up for success.
“I give credit to the whole team for defending me, Sandhu said. I think everyone is doing their jobs, and a shutout is a team effort.”
Coach Cumbo has done a great job of getting every player to buy into the program and how they play, and it’s been working. Defense may not be looked at as gloriously as offense, but it remains important.
“Defense wins championships, and we all love defending,” Sandhu said.
To their credit, the Hawks fought. They’ve shown they can win possession battles and maintain composure under pressure — but on this night, things unraveled too quickly.
“Our expectations were to come out here and win,” assistant Coach Cristian Barbontin-Jimenez explained. “We could play against them. We were better. We’re a better team. We had more chances.”
From the opening whistle, the match had an edge to it. The benches were loud, with nonstop whistles and hard tackles. The first yellow card was issued to defender Gio Pinon for a rough tackle.
The sideline echoed with calls to settle down: “Chill out, Gio.”
But the tone had already been set. Matching Evergreen’s physical energy wasn’t working — and in the 16th minute, Pinon was sent off, forcing the Hawks to play a man down for the remainder of the match.
Despite strong efforts from Mark Sorensen and Dayton Dillman, Las Positas couldn’t climb back after conceding an early goal. The missed penalty kick in the second half sealed it.
“We were positioned to win,” Cumbo said. “We just didn’t. We weren’t able to capitalize.”
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Top photo: The Hawks failed to score for the first time in a month in a loss at Evergreen Valley. (Photo by Alan Lewis/ Special to The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJoseAnnie.
