Irvin Arellano scores overtime winner for Lake View in Public League final

Lake View came into the Public League boys soccer championship on Saturday looking to make school history.

The Wildcats (8-2-7), who played in the Class 2A supersectionals last year and made it Downstate five years ago, not only played in their first city-title match, but defeated Lane 2-1 in overtime at Lane.

“Beating them at home is kind of special,’’ said freshman Irvin Arellano, who scored the game-winning goal 1:26 into the overtime period. “Like our coach told us, we were coming in as the underdog, we had something to prove.’’

The game began as a defensive battle between two even squads and that lasted for the first half, which ended in a 0-0 tie.

Lake View got the first break of the match at the 35:07 mark of the second half. After a Lane player was whistled for a handball, Wildcats junior Jeff

Boateng was awarded a penalty kick, which he calmly put into the bottom left corner of the net.

“Having to play with multiple guys on me is tough but I had to fight through it,’’ Boateng said. “I knew my teammates would come and help, we’re a team.’’

Other than Boateng’s goal, the Wildcats were not able to mount any pressure on the Indians. The majority of the second half was played on Lake View’s half of the field.

Still down 1-0 with time winding down, Lane (18-2-2) became the aggressor and completely took over, taking four shots in the last 7:27 of the half.

The Indians capitalized on that pressure with 3:27 remaining when Jose Fuentes scored with a shot right in front of the goal.

“It didn’t really discourage us that we had to go to overtime,’’ Boateng said. “It wasn’t how we wanted it to go, but we ended out getting the win. You have to keep pushing.’’

Once overtime arrived it was Arellano’s time to shine.

The freshman got the ball a few yards in front of the goal and shot a laser to beat Lane keeper Raudel Rojas.

“I actually have to thank my dad for that,’’ Arellano said. “He was the one that taught me to always go for the ball. I saw it, turned and it went in.

“The title means a lot for the school. It shows that we can compete with schools like Lane and that we are good, too.’’

The loss is Lane’s third in a row in the city-title match. The Indians lost last year to Kelly in overtime and to Mather in 2011.