From Staff Reports
Abe to the rescue: Needing a win to reach the CIF Southern Section
Division III playoffs, the Hoover High boys' soccer team tried
everything Thursday to score more goals than Glendale.
And it would've, had it not been for the play of Nitro goalkeeper
Abraham Andreasyan.
The junior was nothing short of magnificent in the regular-season
finale, which Glendale won, 2-1, to advance to its first postseason
since 1997.
Andreasyan finished with seven saves, many of which were of the
highlight-reel variety. His performance was especially spectacular in
the second half, when Hoover had nine of its 10 players on Glendale's
side of the field, trying its best to erase a 1-0 deficit.
In the 60th minute, Hoover's Juan Mundo looked like he was about
to tie the match on a header off an indirect kick, but Andreasyan
leaped to his left to snatch the header, which was headed for the top
left corner of the net.
Five minutes later, Andreasyan outdid himself with another diving
stop, this time stopping a blast from Narbeh Vartanian's right foot
inside the box on a breakaway.
Even when Andreasyan allowed a goal, he made a pair of spectacular
saves before it. Hoover scored in the 72nd minute as a result of its
sixth cornerkick of the match. On the play, however, Andreasyan made
a pair of sprawling kick saves before the ball ricocheted to the foot
of Hoover's James Hernandez, who scored into an open net.
But six minutes later, Glendale senior Albert Keshishyan made sure
his goalkeeper's efforts didn't go for naught. Keshishyan scored his
first goal of the year to give the Nitros the victory. Afterward,
Keshishyan and Andreasyan couldn't stop celebrating, as Glendale
erased the bitterness from 2003, when Hoover won on the final day of
the season to deny the Nitros a playoff berth.
"I'm sorry": The Hoover High boys' soccer team was dejected for
obvious reasons following Thursday's setback against Glendale.
But, perhaps Maziar Rahimi felt worse.
Rahimi was the player who was kicked off the team Wednesday after
his participation in an adult league soccer match caused Hoover to
forfeit its Feb. 3 victory against Muir.
The loss dropped Hoover from third place in league to fourth,
which made a difference in Thursday's match, since the Tornadoes had
to play for the win, instead of the tie.
"I just want to say that I'm very sorry," said Rahimi, standing
outside of Ferguson Field after Thursday's match. "I've learned a lot
from what's happened to me. I never wanted to hurt my team or my
