Atherton, CA:

Play of the Game: Riccardo Urruela's Unbelievable Strike to Put Menlo on the Board First

Today could have been a trap game.  Menlo has their big showdown against Holy Names this Saturday with the likely hood of both teams coming into the match undefeated in conference.  The Oaks could have overlooked Cal Maritime today and their 3-1 conference record.  They could have have…but they didn't. 

The Oaks made sure of this just nine minutes into the match when freshman Ricardo Urruela found the back of the net in what can be characterized as one of the most remarkable scores of the season.  The striker from Guatemala City took a pass from junior Eric Angell and rocketed it from outside the box into the upper left hand corner, just inside the post.    

"I have been working hard in practice and I've been getting that mentality of keep scoring in every game," remarked Urruela who now has four goals in the last three contests.  "I saw the opportunity to drop back a little bit, got the pass from Eric and just shot it.  I didn't think twice."

Minutes later, junior Alex Vukic headed in a ball set up by freshman Guisseppe Frattaroli to put the Oaks on top 2-0 in the 22^nd minute.  Vukic now boasts three goals of his own in the last three games since returning from a left wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup for about a month. 

Menlo's defense took it from there, holding Maritime to just six total shots as opposed to the Oaks' 33 in the 2-0 victory.  Menlo now sports a 4-0 mark in the California Pacific Conference with an overall record of 7-3-1.  The Oaks have also not lost since September 10^th.

"We still have room to grow and I think we can do it," claimed second year Head Coach Mike Keller.  "We have developed a lot since the beginning of the season but have not topped out."

Menlo will have their biggest test of the season this Saturday October 15^th with Holy Names and a clash of undefeated Cal Pac records on display at Wunderlich Field.  "There's no doubt that it's a big game, but we usually come to play in big games," commented Keller.  "I think we will play well to be honest." 

As for the aforementioned Urruela.  "We are ready to fight for the school, fight for the team, and fight for the result." 

The showdown will begin at 3pm.