By Rick Assad
Based on a number of factors it was going to be razor close and it was, but in the 20th minute and on a 23-yard penalty kick by junior striker Samvel Stepanyan that came within mere inches of giving Burbank High a goal except that it hit the left post and bounced off in a match against Crescenta Valley.
Instead, the Pacific League boys’ clash at Kemp-Kallem Field on Friday afternoon ended in a scoreless tie as neither team was able to place the ball into the net.
Each goaltender deserves some credit for not allowing a goal as Burbank’s senior Hayk Tovmasyan and Crescenta Valley senior Arvin Navasartian stood tall.
“I was happy with our performance,” Burbank coach Johnny Rotunno said. “We didn’t make any mistakes in the back. That shot off the post was close to going in.”
In the first meeting on December 21 between these two teams, the Falcons prevailed 1-0 when the Bulldogs knocked the ball into their own net.
The Falcons (6-8-2 and 6-5-1 in league) controlled the early going as the visitors had two corner kicks and a free kick until Stepanyan’s near miss.
Senior Asher Helberg’s 42-yard free kick in the third minute was the initial salvo for the Falcons and three minutes later junior Leon Einhaus unloaded a 25-yarder for the Falcons.
Senior Grant Hovhannisyan added a 25-yard free kick in the ninth minute.
Junior Solemon Alveno-Donofrio contributed a 20-yard boot in the 15th minute and Hovhannisyan’s corner kick followed in the 16th minute.
The Bulldogs (7-6-5 and 3-5-4 in league) saw Stepanyan break the skein but Crescenta Valley responded with three straight kicks.
One came from 35 yards in the 22nd minute and another came from Helberg from 38 yards in the 30th minute.
For good measure, Alveno-Donofrio tossed in a 25-yarder in the 30th minute.
Burbank closed out the first half with a 20-yard penalty kick from senior center attacking midfielder George Atallah in the 33rd minute.
On the same play junior left back Arthur Tovmasyan added a header that didn’t find the mark.
In the 39th minute, Atallah nailed a 25-yarder that likewise failed to locate the back of the net.
The second 40-minute half commenced with Alveno-Donofrio hitting a 20-yarder in the 41st minute, but Atallah booted a 25-yard too high in the 44th minute.
The Falcons then unloaded five consecutive kicks and they came from senior James Chavez from 25 yards in the 45th minute, Hovhannisyan with a 30-yarder that went wide right in the 47th minute and Hovhannisyan on a corner kick in the 51st minute.
Junior Dante Araratyan collected two corner kicks in the 52nd minute and Araratyan in the 55th minute for Crescenta Valley.
Junior center midfielder David Agababian’s 25-yard kick in the 56th minute broke the spell for Burbank.
Hovhannisyan added a 25-yarder that sailed wide right in the 67th minute and seven minutes later Hovhannisyan added a 38-yarder.
Hovhannisyan wasn’t done as he tossed in a 30-yard free kick in the 77th minute while Helberg added a 50-yard free kick in extra time.
The final boot of the match came from Atallah on a 45-yard free kick in extra time.
