March 1, 2009

See the goal!

DUBLIN — The De La Salle High School soccer team should have felt comfortable it was going to win the North Coast Section's 3A soccer title on Saturday, because Garrett Biel had a vision.

The senior midfielder and longest serving member of 3-time State Cup champions Diablo FC 90 dreamt for the three days prior to the championship game against San Ramon Valley that he would score the game-winning goal.

And that is exactly what he did.

In double overtime, during the 95th minute, Biel was able to head the ball into the net for the 1-0 win, handing the No. 1 seed Spartans their first crown since 2005. De La Salle featured 13 players who are members of Diablo FC teams along with coaches Brian Voltattorni and Derricke Brown.

"For the last three nights I've been dreaming about scoring the game-winning goal in this game," Biel said. "This was a perfect way to end it because I've been dreaming about it."

The ball got to Biel on a flick from Alex Laughton, after a perfect-strike throw-in by Anthony DeCosta.

"Garrett saw me, came up and did a great job to put it in the net," Laughton said. "When he put it in, it was an amazing feeling."

Amazing is a good word to describe De La Salle, a team with 13 seniors, that went (23-1-1).

"It was an amazing season," Biel said. "It's a celebration of all the hard work we put in and the brotherhood that we have."

The Spartans had beaten the Wolves (16-5-6) twice in East Bay Athletic League play, but had to work for this one.

"San Ramon Valley played a great game, and we were struggling," De La Salle coach and Diablo FC Director of Coaching Voltattorni said. "But with all the senior leadership we have, they were able to step up and send them out as champions."

The Wolves were causing problems for the Spartans for much of the game, especially in the first half, but couldn't get a goal past Spartans senior goalie Chris Holm, who had another shutout. Holm is a Diablo FC goalie.

"They're a great team and we're a great team," San Ramon Valley coach Don Busboom said. "All the credit goes to them, but our boys did all they could and I am so proud of them."

Though it took 95 minutes for them to break through, the top team in the section finished off their dream season with a title.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Voltattorni said. "This is one of the greatest teams, if not the greatest teams, to come through here." This is Voltattorni's third NCS title as Spartan coach in his seven years at his alma mater.

By Matt Smith
Correspondent
Reprinted by Contra Costa Times

The game-winning moment of Garrett Biel's headed goal that won the North Coast Section championship in overtime for De La Salle. The long-time Diablo FC 90 player dreamed this would actually happen!