Nothing — not even the pouring rain, or their opponent’s 11-game win streak — could get in the way of boys’ soccer (11-3-4) during their Saturday, Feb. 17 quarterfinal against Leigh High School, as the team cemented their spot in the next round of the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs with a resounding 2-1 victory. 

Burlingame quickly took the lead with a goal from senior Sammy Faham, but the Longhorns responded, as a bouncing shot got past the junior keeper Owen Schroeder, tying the game at one apiece early in the second half. Despite the close game and fierce playoff competition throughout the first 60 minutes of the game, the Panthers closed it out with another score by Faham. Seniors Hank and Charlie Lane, Kevin Ascarza, and Altai Ordubadi also made important contributions to the victory, and Burlingame’s lockdown defense deserves credit for sealing the win in the game’s final moments, but it was all eleven players who stepped up when it mattered. 

“When you play someone in the top division, top eight in CCS, it’s always going to be a tough game,” head coach Anthony Dimech said. “They had to come to our place, and they forgot we haven’t lost at home all year long, so it was a great game.”

With this win, the Panthers secured their spot in the CCS semifinals against an opponent they know all too well — Saint Francis High School. As the No. 1 ranked team in Northern California, and the top seed in CCS, Saint Francis is an opponent to be reckoned with, but not an unfamiliar one for the Panthers. 

Earlier in the season, the Panthers faced Saint Francis twice in one week in the Sunnyvale tournament, losing both times, including a 4-1 loss in the championship match. Despite this, the Panthers are confident in their chances when they take on the Lancers on the road this Wednesday, Feb. 21. “It’s going to be tough, they’re undefeated, they’re the No. 1 seed, and it’s at their place,” Dimech said. “We’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”