No era penal.
It wasn’t a penalty.
That’s what comes to mind when considering the Bonita Vista High School boys soccer team’s recent loss.
In 2014 the Mexican Men’s National soccer team watched their World Cup dreams snatched away.
Going into the final moments of a 1-1 tie against the Netherlands during a Round of 16 game, Mexico’s hopes for victory were dashed when referee Pedro Proenca awarded the Dutch a penalty kick for a phantom violation.
Mexican defender Rafa Marquez stepped in to prevent Dutchmen Arjen Robben from dribbling in critical Mexican territory. There was a whisper of contact between the men.
Robben flopped. He collapsed harder and faster than a deck of cards under a 20-ton anvil. Proenca fell for the bluff and blew his whistle. The ensuing penalty kick was converted, Mexico lost 2-1 and the Netherlands advanced to the next round.
Mexcio’s fate, their victory, was decided by someone not playing the game.
Bonita Vista’s loss was of a different sort. Their game was over, the scoreboard reflected they were the victors and the title of Division II champions was theirs. Next stop was the state tournament.
But something happened on the road to high school soccer glory. An administrative error, the Sweetwater Union High School District reported, had allowed an academically ineligible player to participate in that final game.
The boys are no longer officially champions. They are not eligible to play for the state title.
The similarities between the boys of Bonita Vista and the men of Mexico may be scant but the parallel is this: someone other than a player decided the game.
On the world stage it was a referee. In the academic world it was an administrator.
But on the field, where the game is played and the points total matters, Bonita Vista was the winner.
But here is the lesson: Often times circumstances beyond our control influence and change the paths we are on. We plan and prepare and train to do our best to win or excel. Sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes it’s not. It’s a lesson that, unfortunately, is often learned outside the classroom.
