LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - Live Oak High School hosted the Lowell Red Hawks from San Francisco on Tuesday night as part of the CIF NorCal Boys Soccer Championships Division V.

The Lions from Live Oak (16-4-2, 7-0-2 Sac Valley League) were victorious by a score of 1-0 over the Red Hawks (10-3-4, 6-0-1 League) to extend their season.

The game got off to a quick start with pressure on both goal keepers during the first half. Live Oak co-head coach Luis Cibrian said he felt that his defense was key in the first half, as his team gave the Red Hawks too much space in the beginning of the game, with the ball frequently in Live Oak territory.

The Red Hawks came close to scoring at the 23-minute mark, but Live Oak senior goalkeeper Jorge Enriquez made an incredible save - one of many in this game. As the clock got close to halftime, both teams increased their aggressiveness towards the goal, with multiple close attempts taken by both sides. The first half ended with a scoreless draw.

“In the first half our defense kept us in the game,” Cibrian said. “Our defense is our backbone. Our goalie Jorge Enriquez had some incredible saves in the box.”

The action between the two teams would continue to intensify in the second half. However, the score remained tied at zero at the 70-minute mark.

“As for the second half, the midfield stepped up and played up to their potential,” Cibrian said. “We also went into a 4-5-1 formation to give the midfield more support.”

Cibrian said that center midfielders, sophomore Jesus Rivera and senior Juan Ramirez (aka Rooster), played with heart.

With only 10 minutes left, both teams frantically began pushing towards the goal. A penalty called against the Red Hawks would give Live Oak junior Javier Medina an opportunity to score. Medina successfully converted the penalty shot to score the only goal of the game.

“(Medina) loves to be in the spotlight,” Cibrian said. “He lives for the moment and hasn’t let the team down yet!”

Moments later, Live Oak took another close shot at the goal as the ball narrowly went over the top of the goal post. With the Lions in control 1-0, the remainder of the game was back and forth as the Red Hawks desperately tried to even the score. Live Oak went on to win 1-0 to advance to the next round.

“They were a good team with a lot of talent,” Cibrian said of Lowell. “They flew to the ball and touched (it) great. I think our team was a little nervous knowing that we were going to play a team from the Bay Area with more than 2600 students.