The No. 6-seed Dons (13-5-2 overall) triumphed 3-1 over No. 11 Monterey Wednesday in the 2016 CCS Division II opener at Aragon, with all four goals in the game being scored over a 10-minute stretch. Senior forward Dakota Severson booted the game-winner, breaking a 1-1 tie with a breakaway goal in the 32nd minute.

“That was crazy,” Aragon head coach Gregory Markoulakis said of the quick exchange of goals. “Not in a high school game, I have never seen that.”

The victory marks Aragon’s first victory in CCS play since 1993, a win over Palo Alto settled on penalty kicks. It is the first CCS win in regulation for the Dons since 1982 in a quarterfinal victory over Monta Vista.

Much of the first half was marked by close, aggressive play. But then the shootout commenced with the game’s first three goals being scored within four minutes of each other.

Aragon got on the board in the 29th minute on a free kick by forward Alex Carrillo. The senior was staring down a wide wall of Monterey defenders from 30 yards out, but buzzed a high arcing liner over it and on goal, giving the Dons a 1-0 lead.

But Monterey answered right back. On its first attack off the ensuing kickoff, midfielder Mark Diego stormed the right wing to advance the ball with a cross to junior forward Fernando Cardenas, who took a quick touch from close range to score off the left post, tying it 1-1.

“After we scored, we got a little too excited and they took advantage of that,” Aragon senior defender Antonio Sandoval said. “But I feel we were better than this team and we deserved another goal.”

The Dons got that goal in a hurry. Just a minute later, Aragon took a long shot downfield. Carrillo sent a pass from midfield into Severson. The junior got behind the Monterey back row and had daylight, but had to slow down just a tad to control it. As he did, two Monterey defenders caught him, but Severson battled through and untangled himself from the pack for a scoring strike from 15 yards out, giving the Dons a 2-1 advantage.

“Our boys are so in love with possessions that it’s for them to understand the concept and stretch the defense,” Markoulakis said. “But they started introducing the long ball to change up the attack.”

Monterey nearly tied it again just one minute later, on a close attempt by Jimmy Diego. The junior had Aragon keeper Nathan Machak drawn out just a step, and attempted a high left-footed windmill kick, but Machak got extended with a dive to just get his left hand on it to deflect the sharp attempt and preserve the lead.

The miss was a tough blow for Monterey.

“If we tie it, it’s a different game,” Monterey head coach Josimar Herrera said. “It was right before the half, so it would have helped us going into the second half.”

Machak’s reactionary save was like clockwork, though, for a goalkeeper that has been one of the best in the PAL this season, according to Markoulakis.

“Nathan’s positioning, he’s definitely one of the top two in the league, if not the top goalkeeper,” Markoulakis said. “His positioning is stellar.”

Just before the half, Aragon added an insurance goal on another long advance. Sandoval sent it in from just past midfield to a streaking Christian Torres. This time, Monterey senior defender Bernardo Alvarado was on his mark step for step, but the precise pass went right to the foot of Torres, who dribbled forward three steps and avoided a tackle attempt by Alvarado to exact a crisp score into the vacated left net, giving Aragon a 3-1 lead at the half.

Throughout the second half, the Dons kept the pressure up. Aragon’s forwards actually provided some of the most tenacious defense, constantly harassing Monterey’s back row any time the Toreadores defenders attempted to control the ball.

“We morphed into a 4-3-3 so we could attack and take advantage of their back line,” Sandoval said. “I feel like that was a perfect system for this game.”

Sandoval is one of 10 Aragon players who play year round with the San Mateo Lions for the California Youth Soccer Association. A former club player with the Juventus Aztecs, Sandoval left the club team two years ago to join the Lions. The team has since celebrated much success and is qualified to play in the Surf Cup tournament later this summer. And the chemistry has certainly carried over to the high school pitch.

“Our chemistry, our bonding, our friendship — we get into arguments here and there, but that’s brother love,” Sandoval said.