Last Friday night, the Malibu Sharks held off the Oak Park Eagles by squeezing out a 1-0 victory.
Much of the team’s success is owed to their defense. The Sharks rarely let the Eagles on the offensive side of the field for the first 15 minutes of play. Malibu ended up dominating possession for the first half with the defense not letting too many shots on goal. Shark’s goalkeeper Max Watkin felt great watching his defense perform well adding that him and the defense “are like a unit.”Â
The offense for Malibu pushed the ball well in the first half opening up great chances to take the lead. However, the Sharks missed a few golden opportunities to score early. With 2 minutes remaining in the first half, Malibu finally capitalized and Ari Taublieb scored the game’s first goal on a free kick to make it 1-0. “I take that shot all the time in practice,” Taublieb said.Â
That would be the only goal scored all game. Max Watkin made key saves in the 2nd half to keep the lead for the Sharks. The Eagles had opportunities late but Malibu prevailed in the end 1-0. Watkin recorded his 8th shutout of the season. The Sharks improve to 3-1-1 in league and 9-4-3 overall.