By Rick Assad
In what turned out to be a lopsided victory by the Burbank High boys’ soccer team, the Bulldogs set the tone and tempo early and after outshooting the Mustangs in the first half, collected a 3-0 triumph in a Pacific League match on Tuesday afternoon at Kemp-Kallem Field.
A goal from 15 yards in the 38th minute by senior Gabriel Mier was followed by 17-yard tally in the 63rd minute from senior Giancarlos Vitery Suman and the finale came in the 78th minute on a 15-yard penalty kick by junior Bryan Juarez.
Burbank outshot the Mustangs 13-5 across the first 40 minutes but saw Muir counter with six shots to four by the Bulldogs in the second half.
“What I really liked today was that everyone played their game,” Burbank coach Robert Romero said. “They were patient and in control. I also really liked the ball passing and possession from my players in the middle.”
Romero highlighted a few players. “[Sophomore] Rigoberto [Garcia], George [Atallah] and Gabriel were at a new level for them,” he noted.
The Bulldogs (5-3 and 1-1 in league) began the match with junior Atallah launching a free kick from 42 yards in the sixth minute. Four minutes later Burbank senior Erik Gharibian unloaded a 25-yard attempt.
Muir junior Omar Luviano broke the spell with a 28-yard free kick in the 11th minute.
The Bulldogs responded with six straight attempts, and they included a 15-yard boot from Juarez in the 13th minute, followed by a 25-yarder by Vitery Suman, also in the 13th minute.
A minute later, Mier drilled a 20-yarder and in the 14th minute Atallah released a 37-yarder.
Gharibian unloaded a 28-yarder in the 20th minute and Mier’s 30-yarder in the 21st minute was added before the Mustangs junior Arthur Escandon unleashed a 29-yarder in the 22nd minute and a 20-yarder in the 23rd minute.
Burbank countered with a 15-yarder and 10-yarder in the 24th minute and the 30th minute by Juarez.
Escandon had a 15-yard attempt in the 32nd minute but in the 33rd minute Alfost Khalatyan had a 25-yarder for the Bulldogs.
Two minutes later, Atallah delivered a 32-yarder, but the final shot went to Muir junior Aidan Geiger in the 40th minute.
In the 45th minute freshman Jacob Hernandez had a 33-yarder for the Mustangs (6-7-1 and 0-2 in league), but sophomore Erik Antanesyan had a 15-yard in the 48th minute for the Bulldogs.
Muir had two free kicks from 45 yards, and they were booted by Hernandez in the 52nd minute and by Luviano in the 56th minute.
Vitery Suman added a 10-yard header in the 59th minute. Junior Hayden Kennedy tossed in a 45-yard free kick in the 65th minute for the Mustangs.
Escandon had a 10-yard header in the 70th minute and also added a 25-yard free kick in the 71st minute.
