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2009 Prep Soccer
San Diego Section

Breaking News!

Castle Park Trojans (ole, ole, ole) win first CIF championship

2010 SoCal regional playoff bracket (boys)
2010 SoCal regional playoff bracket (girls)

JAMUL, March 6, 2010 -- The Castle Park Trojans boys soccer team did it the hard way -- four consecutive playoff wins against higher-seeded opponents, topped off by last Saturday's dramatic 2-1 San Diego Section Division III championship game victory in the rain at Valhalla High School against the second-seeded Cathedral Catholic Dons.

The Trojans, with tie-breaker penalty kick wins against Mission Bay and top-seeded St. Augustine and a 4-0 semifinal victory against University City in hand, never trailed in Saturday’s title tilt against the two-time defending division champion Dons. Alfredo Rodriguez, igniting the crowd with his flashy moves all game long, scored in the 25th minute while teammate Jose Figueroa notched the game-winner on a breakaway in the 79th minute as injury time was added to the match.

Castle Park (14-6-1) led 1-0 at halftime. Cathedral Catholic (17-4-3) tied the game in the 67th minute on a goal by defender Jacob Holt.

Rodriguez, who earned distinction as this season’s South Bay League Player of the Year, said “hard work” was the key to winning this year’s division title.

“We’ve been working hard for the whole season,” Rodriguez said. “We were disappointed not to win league but we made up our minds to win CIF. We gave it all we had.”

No question there. The South Bay side finished the first half strong, with a solid defensive effort in front of goalkeeper Ramon Torres, who blocked two PK attempts in each of the tie-breaker victories against the Bucs and Saints. Dons ‘keeper Andrew Illjeski was forced to make a flying save on a shot by Rodriguez in the first 15 minutes of the game to prevent CP from finishing the opening 40 minutes with two goals.

Cathedral Catholic had the first opportunity to score in the match but slammed a shot off the crossbar in front of an open net.

Figueroa’s game-winner came as be broke through the Cathedral defense on a pass from Angel Pinal and attacked the goaltender one-on-one, depositing his shot just inside the far post past the outstretched reach of a diving Illjeski.

The Trojans were making their first visit to a division final in 34 years after recording runner-up finishes in the 1974 and 1976 Class 2A championship games.

CP head coach Hector Sanchez called the CIF title a defining moment for his team.

“We have won three league titles in my four years here but not a CIF championship — this is the one we really wanted,” he said. “The boys have worked very hard for this. It’s very much a team victory.”

Rodriguez dyed his hair green specifically for the championship game. The colorful mane made him stand out even more on the field as he continually made attacking runs into the Cathedral Catholic zone.

The support from his teammates was perhaps the most amazing aspect of the game.

“It feels great,” said Rodriguez, wiping away raindrops from his face. “We might have had a better team last year but the work ethic on this year’s team was better.”

Castle Park finished 8-4-0 in South Bay League play, trailing league champion Southwest (9-2-1). The Raiders earned the No. 8 seed in the Division II playoffs while the Trojans were seeded ninth in the Division III bracket behind third-seeded Montgomery (5-3-4 in SBL play).

Southwest was upset, 1-0, in overtime by visiting Ramona in the opening round; the Aztecs were upset, 2-1, by visiting Coronado in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Castle Park drew a road assignment at eighth-seeded Mission Bay in the first round, winning in the penalty kick tie-breaker to advance against the top-seeded Saints, who entered the quarterfinal match-up with an imposing 17-2-3 record.

The teams battled through regulation and overtime in a 2-2 tie to settle matters in the tie-breaker. The Trojans won the spot kick duel 5-3 to advance to the semifinals against University City, a 1-0 upset winner over fourth-seeded Clairemont (11-4-6).

“It was a hard game but we got the victory,” Rodriguez said in regard to the victory against St. Augustine.

Castle Park left no doubt which team deserved to advance to the championship match after the Trojans drubbed the Centurions (13-9-4) by four goals. Rodriguez led the way with two goals.

Cathedral Catholic edged San Dieguito Academy (19-4-2) by a narrow 1-0 margin in the quarterfinals before recording a convincing 3-0 victory against Coronado in the semifinls on a pair of goals by sophomore Jared Hegardt..

But watching the Dons on the field, it was apparent that this wasn’t quite the same team that had dominated the division the previous two years, defeating Southwest both times in the championship game.

The underdog Trojans proved they were the best team on Saturday.

Castle Park qualified for the Southern California regional state championships, earning a home match Tuesday against Corona Del Mar (28-1-1) in the Division II bracket. The Trojans will be attempting to duplicate what Mater Dei Catholic did last year when the Crusaders won the Division III SoCal state title after first capturing the section Division IV banner.

Cathedral Catholic earned the No. 7 seed in the Division II SoCal playoffs and were set to meet second-seeded Junipero Serra (26-5-2) of San Juan Capistrano in Tuesday’s opener.

The second round of regional play was scheduled for Thursday, with the championship game scheduled Saturday, March 13, at Warren High School in Downey.

Cornerkicks
Southwest finished its season 11-9-4 overall while Montgomery finished 16-7-6.

Chula Vista can take some solace in that it was beaten in the semifinals by the eventual Division I champion after the unseeded San Pasqual Golden Eagles (15-3-2) upset top-seeded Rancho Bernardo, 1-0, in Saturday’s finals. The No. 1 Broncos entered the game sporting a 21-1-2 record. Andrew Malkiewicz scored off a set piece in the 42nd minute for the game’s only goal, heading in a shot off a free kick by Jeremy Simpson. San Pasqual defeated CV, 2-1, on a pair of set pieces in their semifinal match-up on March 3. Simpson had a goal and assist in the win over the Spartans (13-7-4).

San Pasqual earned the No. 2 seed in the SoCal Division I regionals and were set to host seventh-seeded Santa Ana Valey (28-3-4) in Tuesday’s opening round.

The same goes for the Mater Dei Crusaders after the third-seeded Bishop’s Knights (13-2-8) defeated fourth-seeded La Jolla Country Day (15-8-3) in a PK tie-breaker to win the Division IV boys championship. The Knights emerged on top after claiming the tie-breaker, 3-2, after both teams had battled to a 1-1 stalemate through regulation and overtime. Bishop’s goalkeeper Justin Peabody blocked three penalty kicks in the tie-breaker. He also had three blocks in the Knights’ 11th-round tie-breaker victory over the second-seeded Crusaders (12-3-5) in the semifinals. Kyle Jester score the go-ahead goal for Bishop’s in the 44th minute before LJCD’s Danny Rogers tied the match in the 56th minute. It was the Knights’ third win against the Torreys this season.

Bishop’s received the No. 4 seed in the SoCal playoffs and a home match Monday against Elizabeth LC (9-6-4) from the Los Angeles Section.

Orange Glen (15-4-3) won the Division II boys title after capturing a 6-5 PK tie-breaker thriller from third-seeded Westview (14-7-4). The tie-breaker was the second in a row for the Patriots after edging defending division champion Valhalla in the PK roulette in the semifinals. Both Orange Glen and Westview played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and overtime. Adrian Gutierrez gave the Pats a 1-0 lead off a free kick in the 10th minute of play. The Wolverines sent the match into overtime on a goal by Adis Islamovic with eight minutes left in regulation play.

Orange Glen, in a surprise move, did not receive a bid into the SoCal playoffs despite winning the Division II section title.

CIF soccer semifinals: Say it ain’t so for Metro teams
Posted March 5, 2010
If Wednesday’s semifinal playoff losses had been more pronounced, it might have been easier for the coaches of the Chula Vista and Mater Dei Catholic boys soccer teams to stomach. But the setbacks were of the kind linked to a lack of converting scoring chances, and that makes them sting even more.

“We had some really good chances early on — we had some good possession of the ball,” said Chula Vista coach Ruben Oliveira following his team’s 2-1 Division I loss to the visiting San Pasqual Golden Eagles. “They scored on a corner kick and a free kick. I thought we were the better team but we didn’t put away our chances. They scored on two set pieces. That’s not the way you want to lose. But you can’t win every game.”

Three hours later across town, Mater Dei coach Jorge Zavala watched as his team gave up an own goal with 10 minutes to play in regulation, then come up empty in the ensuing overtime period despite producing an onslaught of offensive opportunities in front of the Bishop’s net. Zavala then received further visual torture as the third-seeded Knights (12-2-8) and second-seeded Crusaders (12-3-5) battled through a marathon 11-round penalty kick tie-breaker before the visitors finally put an end to the defending Southern California regional champions’ 2009-10 season.

San Pasqual (14-3-2) will play either top-seeded Rancho Bernardo (20-1-2) or fourth-seeded Poway (20-3-4) in Saturday’s Division I title game at Valhalla High School. Bishop’s will play either top-seeded Holtville (19-2) or fourth-seeded La Jolla Country Day (14-7-3) for the Division IV championship Saturday at Cathedral Catholic High School.

“We went stale,” Zavala said succinctly. “We didn’t finish. We were flat today. This was a hard one to take. They basically packed it in and tried to counter-attacked us.”

A frustrating tactic employed in such a beautiful game but it worked for the Knights, who captured the tie-breaker by a score of 7-6 after both teams had battled to a 1-1 OT draw.

Mater Dei took a 1-0 lead on Cesar Trejo’s goal in the 60th minute. Ten minutes later the game was tied on the own goal by the Crusaders.

Bishop’s goalkeeper Justin Peabody was credited with seven saves in regulation play.

Bobby Pousti scored the game-winning PK after Mater Dei’s Roberto Ayon had his kick hit the crossbar on the previous attempt.
Peabody stopped four Crusader shots while his Mater Dei counterpart made three saves in the tie-breaker round and watched another Bishop’s shot (ironically taken by Peabody) sail wide of the mark.

The Crusader ’keeper had to come up big with crucial stops three times to keep the PK roulette even.

The tie-breaker was tied 3-3 after five regulation rounds and 6-6 after the next round of five shooters.

Chula Vista (13-7-4) carried play in the opening half against San Pasqual, taking a 1-0 lead on a head shot by Jonathan Salmeron midway through the first half off a free kick. The Golden Eagles countered with lightning quick goals five minutes apart shortly thereafter. Leonid Prikhodovskiy got his forehead on a corner kick taken by teammate Jeremy Simpson to tie the score. Simpson then drove in a direct free kick into the top corner of the net for the go-ahead goal.

“An unnecessary foul,” Oliveira said. “I don’t know what happened on that play — maybe our goalie couldn’t see the ball (because of the sun).”

The teams played to a scoreless draw in the second half.

The Spartans and Eagles both advanced to the semifinals after posting upsets in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Chula Vista eliminated third-seeded Bonita Vista, 1-0, on a goal scored by Alejandro Camacho in the first 15 minutes of the game. San Pasqual shocked second-seeded Granite Hills 3-2.

Mesa League champion Bonita Vista finished the season 18-7-1; Granite Hills ended 19-4-3.

Mater Dei, meanwhile, advanced to Wednesday’s semifinals on the strength of a 3-1 quarterfinal victory against visiting Preuss (11-6-4). Diego Alvares, Paul Arriola and Roberto Ayon scored for the Crusaders.

Unsung Trojans to meet #2 Dons in Division III final
The Castle Park Trojans have won league soccer titles in the past. But CIF division championships? Not quite. Castle Park owns two runner-up finishes in the Class 2A finals: 1974 and 1976.

The upset-minded Trojans will get another try at the San Diego Section’s biggest prize Saturday when they engage the second-seeded Cathedral Catholic Dons (17-3-3) at 4 p.m. at Valhalla High School for this year’s Division III title.

Castle Park (13-6-1) will be the underdog in the championship match against the two-time defending division champion Dons but that hasn’t seemed to bother the Trojans thus far in their playoff odyssey. Castle Park has defeated three higher-seeded opponents on the road, starting with a 2-0 victory against Mission Bay (8-9-3) in the first round on Feb. 24 and continuing with a stunning upset of top-seeded St. Augustine (17-3-3) in last Saturday’s quarterfinals and Wednesday’s 4-0 semifinal victory against University City (13-9-4). The Trojans and Saints played to a 2-2 tie through overtime before the South Bay League runners-up won the penalty kick tie-breaker 5-3.

Castle Park finished 8-4-0 in league play, trailing league champion Southwest (9-2-1).

Cathedral Catholic advanced with a 3-0 semifinal win against Coronado (17-5-2).

How sweet it is for league champion Red Devils

Sweetwater defeats Hilltop in CIF girls playoff thriller

Posted Feb. 25, 2010
Turn back history 20 years and the building blocks were there for the Sweetwater High School girls soccer team even if the victories weren’t. The Red Devils were among the Metro Conference’s lower echelon of teams but had dreams of one day competing with the best. That day has finally arrived — and it was one mixed with cheers and tears.

Tears of joy for Sweetwater after the Red Devils captured the school’s first-ever league championship this season.

Cheers after defeating Mesa League champion Hilltop in penalty kicks in Tuesday’s opening round of the San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

The Red Devils, drum roll, will play third-seeded Rancho Bernardo (11-6-3) in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Pretty lofty territory.

It makes up for a hugely disappointing end to last season when SuHi saw its championship aspirations in the South Bay League vanish with a runner-up finish to Southwest and its season close with a 4-1 playoff loss at West Hills.

“The difference between this year and last year is that we basically have the same group but the girls have played with so much heart,” 12th-year coach Robert Bonilla said. “The talent was still there but this year they played with heart because of what happened last year.”

The Devils wrapped up South Bay League play with a 10-1-1 league record after defeating visiting Southwest, 3-0, last Friday. Senior defender Joanna Carrillo staked the hosts to a 1-0 lead with a first-half goal. Senior forward Andrea Hernandez and senior midfielder Zahyra Valdovinos each scored goals in the second half for Sweetwater to support the shutout goalkeeping of freshman Beatiz Mateo.

The National City squad finished regular season play 13-7-1 overall after a 16-3-2 run in 2009.

But Bonilla was having flashes of deja vu midway through this season when the Devils ran into a bit of a slump with a 1-1 tie against Mar Vista and 2-1 loss at Southwest in successive games.
The league title was squarely in doubt.

“The girls had to work harder because the league turned out to be harder than I thought it would be this season,” Bonilla said. “We had a midseason slump but we pulled ourselves out of it.”
Just like they pulled themselves out of a 1-0 deficit against the host Lancers (15-4-4) on Tuesday to send the game into overtime on a last-minute goal by Valdovinos, and then win the PK tie-breaker 5-4 in the sudden-death round. Mateo was credited with nine saves in 95 minutes of field play.

Sweetwater has out-scored its opponents this season 71-31. The score chart almost reads like a basketball box score: Brenda Coronel (18 goals), Carillo (15 goals), Tami Rojas (14 goals) and Valdovinos (seven goals). Mateo has fashioned a fine 1.10 goals-against average with seven shutouts.

Bonilla lists seven girls as the team’s core players: senior midfielder Coronel, Joanna Carrillo, Valdovinos, senior midfielder Melissa Arauz, senior defender Maricarmen Guevara and senior midfielder Jessica Carrillo.

Guevara, Coronel and Jessica Carrillo all serve as team captains and are four-year varsity players.

The season for Hilltop, meanwhile, ended on a downer after capturing the Mesa League title with a game to spare. The Lancers’ 1-0 victory against longtime South County power Bonita Vista on Feb. 17 not only secured the league title but likely knocked the Barons (5-4-1, 11-8-4) from playoff consideration. But the celebration was short-lived for the girls in green as Hilltop dropped its final regular season game, 2-1, at Eastlake last Friday.

Last Friday’s game looked to be for the league championship after the Lancers shaded the Titans, 1-0, at midseason. But a 1-0 loss to Bonita Vista on Feb. 5 dropped Eastlake from title contention.

Hilltop finished league play 8-1-1, Eastlake 8-2-0.

Despite the season-ending loss to the Titans, the Lancers hung on to win the league title by one standing point. Marissa Espino, Nicole Wolfe, Memery Dewberry-Valencia and Jessica Carrillo finished as the team’s top goal-scorers.

Eastlake also advanced to the Division I quarterfinals after defeating visiting Carlsbad, 2-1, in Tuesday’s opening round. Eastlake (11-5-2) will play at top-seeded Torrey Pines (15-3-2) on Friday.
Brenna Bailey and Sarah Powell each scored goals to power Tuesday’s playoff win.

Eastlake is now riding a five-game winning steak. Sweetwater was won seven games in a row.

Cornerkicks
In other Division I quarterfinals on Friday, fourth-seeded Rancho Buena Vista (13-4-4) will host Poway (11-6-6) while second-seeded La Costa Canyon (13-5-3) will host Mira Mesa (14-6-6).
Mar Vista (10-11-4) qualified for the Division II playoffs, dropping a 4-0 match at Patrick Henry (14-2-4) on Tuesday. The Mariners finished South Bay League play 8-2-2.

Two South Bay teams were admitted to the Division IV playoffs: Chula Vista High Tech and Mater Dei Catholic. CV High Tech (11-6-1) lost 3-0 at Horizon (9-11-1) while Mater Dei (3-4-1 in Mesa League play, 5-8-1 overall) ended its season with a 2-0 loss at Escondido Charter (17-3-2).

Crusaders open defense of CIF Division 4 title
Chula Vista, Bonita Vista draw Division I quarterfinal pairing
Posted Feb. 25, 2010
The Mater Dei Catholic High School soccer team made history last season by becoming the first Metro Conference team to win the Southern California regional state championship title. The Crusaders qualified for that exclusive tournament by winning the San Diego Section Division IV championship.

Mater Dei coach Jorge Zavala foresees a possible repeat this season if all the pieces to the puzzle fall into place like they did in 2009.

“We’re hoping to make another run,” said Zavala , whose team earned the No. 2 seed in the Division IV playoffs with a 10-2-5 overall record. “We’re not overlooking anyone. We’d like to have the chance to make it back to state.”

The Crusaders jump-started post-season play with a 9-0 victory against visiting Army-Navy Academy (5-8-1) in a first-round game on Wednesday. Three players scored two goals each: Paul Arriola, Cesar Trejo and Mauricio Rodriguez.

Mater Dei hosts Preuss (11-5-4) in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

The Holtville Vikings (17-2) earned the No. 1 seed in this year’s Division IV playoffs while the Bishop’s School (9-2-8) was seeded third and La Jolla Country Day (12-7-3) was seeded fourth.
The Crusaders defeated Francis Parker for last year’s division title. The Lancers (9-4-7) drew the No. 5 seed this season and defeated Guajome Park Academy, 8-0, in the opening round.

Chula Vista High Tech (9-4-2) was the other South Bay school to qualify for this year’s Division IV playoffs, drawing a road game at Vincent Memorial (13-1-1).

The semifinals are on Wednesday, March 3. The Division IV championship game is March 6 at Cathedral Catholic High School.

While Mater Dei did not win this year’s Mesa League title, the Crusaders (4-2-4 in league play) did have a say in which team did. Mater Dei defeated the eventual league champion Bonita Vista Barons twice in league play and prevented last year’s league champion, Chula Vista, from repeating by playing the host Spartans to a 2-2 draw last Friday.

Bonita Vista finished atop the league standings with a 7-2-1 record, followed by Chula Vista at 6-1-3. The Barons earned the No. 3 seed in the Division I playoffs.

“We needed to win that game to win league,” CV coach Ruben Oliveira said. “We had our chances, particularly in the second half.”

The Spartans (12-6-4) will get another crack at Bonita Vista (18-6-1) in Saturday’s quarterfinals after out-lasting the visiting Oceanside Pirates, 1-0, in overtime in Wednesday’s opening round. Hector Carrillo scored the game-winner for a CV squad nursing several injuries.

“Hopefully, we’ll be healthy for Saturday,” Oliveira said.

With one loss and one tie against the Barons thus far this season, Oliveira has to wonder if the third time will finally be the charm his team needs.

“It had better be — we have no choice,” he said. “We feel we’ve out-played them in two games. Now we need to out-score them.”

Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Olympian High School.

The winner advances to the semifinals. Granite Hills (19-3-3) drew the No. 2 seed in the Division I field. Rancho Bernardo (19-1-2) is seeded No. 1.

“It’s one game at a time,” Oliveira said. “If we win, we go to the semis. Anything can happen there.”

A total of seven South County prep teams qualified for this year’s playoff field. Also advancing to post-season action were Southwest in Division II and Castle Park and Montgomery in Division III. Montgomery (16-6-6) earned the No. 3 seed and a quarterfinal-round bye.

The Aztecs will host Coronado (16-4-2) Saturday at 6 p.m.

Southwest (11-9-4) drew a home game against Ramona (12-10-1) in Wednesday’s first round, losing a tough 1-0 overtime match.

Castle Park (10-6-1) opened the playoffs at Mission Bay (8-8-3), with the winner advancing against top-seeded St. Augustine (17-2-3) Saturday at a site to be announced.

Girls soccer:
504 wins and counting ... BV’s Pietila reaches milestone
Posted Feb. 11, 2010
Ron Pietila is affectionately known as the “godfather” of girls high school soccer in the San Diego Section. If it wasn’t for his maverick effort to get the sport included in the high school ranks, who knows how long it would have taken for female players to lace up their boots and curl in a corner kick on area high school campuses.

Girls soccer officially was sanctioned by the section in 1982. Pietila has been there from the start — first with the Southwest Raiders, then the Bonita Vista Barons and Otay Ranch Mustangs. He recently returned to coach the Barons.

His legacy has a number: 504 wins after Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Chula Vista High School.

The veteran coach puts all the wins, ties and losses in perspective.

“It first occurs to me that my teams have also recorded more than 100 losses,” Pietila wryly noted. “That’s a lot of being on the short end.”

The 500th win came in San Ramon against Arroyo High School, 2-1, on Dec. 22 as part of the Tri-Valley Classic. During his long tenure along the sideline, his teams have won two San Diego Section titles and finished runner-up on eight other occasions. His current coaching record stands at 504-104-79.

“First and foremost success is about having talented athletes,” Pietila said. “The key is getting them organized, getting them ‘on your side’ and then getting out of their way. All other considerations — knowledge of the game, supportive family and employer and time — are minor factors that might affect the outcome of only a few matches over the course of a coaching career.”
Tuesday’s win raised Bonita Vista’s overall record to 9-7-4 and Mesa League mark to 3-3-1.

Pietila said while the numbers may show “only an above average year,” they do not show the whole picture.

“This group of players has been a pleasure to work with,” the BV coach said. “There is little drama or negative parental involvement. We start only four seniors. Two freshmen are every minute players. The team has shown vast improvement; however, my able assistant Ryan Marquez and I will continue to seek better play until the whistle blows to complete our final match this season.”

Senior goalkeeper and team captain Linsey McFarland has verbally committed to UC Santa Barbara while senior center midfielder Jackie Gonzalez leads the team in goals and assists. Junior outside defender Lauren Boyd and sophomore forward Jenna Yutsus are returning all- league performers.

The addition of Marquez, Pietila said, brings a new and welcomed vitality to the program.

Including Thursday’s scheduled league match against Mater Dei, the Barons have three more games remaining in regular season play. The section playoffs, should Bonita Vista qualify, follow.

Lancers still on top of Mesa League

Hilltop retained its hold on first place in the Mesa League standings by earning three more victories in a five-day stretch. The Lancers topped host Mater Dei, 3-0, last Friday before recording victories against visiting Chula Vista (4-0) on Monday and host Otay Ranch (2-0) on Tuesday. The three wins propelled Hilltop’s record to 7-0-1 in league play, 14-2-4 overall.

Nicole Wolfe had two goals in Monday’s win; Jessica Carrillo scored twice in last Friday’s victory.

The Lancers host Bonita Vista on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and close out regular season play at Eastlake on Friday, Feb. 19.

Fast start lifts Barons past Spartans, into Mesa lead

Posted Feb. 11, 2010
On a blustery day at Bonita Vista High School, with a cold wind blowing and raindrops increasing in number, the host Barons may just have had enough to capture this year’s Mesa League boys soccer title.

Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the defending league champion Chula Vista Spartans may have seemed dominating on the scoreboard. But to be fair, as those in attendance can attest, the Spartans dominated the match territorially.

But soccer is such a wonderfully fickle game sometimes.

“All we needed was a tie to stay in first place,” CV coach Ruben Oliveiros said. “We played well. The game was closer than the final score.”

The Spartans entered the high profile match with a 4-0-2 league record — with draws coming against Bonita Vista (1-1 on Feb. 1) and Otay Ranch (0-0 last Friday). Bonita Vista was 4-1-1, with wins against Otay Ranch (4-0 on Feb. 3) and Eastlake (3-0 last Friday) after the standoff at CVHS to trail the Spartans by one point in the standings.

The complexion of Tuesday’s rematch turned in the opening 10 minutes as the crafty Barons struck for two counter-attack goals.

One shot appeared to take a bad bounce at the last second past the surprised CV goalkeeper.

The Spartans had one goal called back because of an offside infraction, one shot hit the crossbar and another was rejected by the goalpost.

But that’s soccer.

“Frustrating,” Oliveiros said.

Carlos Arredondo scored all four BV goals. Ironically, he was down with the flu the day before, according to Baron coach Jason Murphy.

“What a performance,” Murphy said.

Alex Camacho scored the visitors’ lone goal. That came in the second half after the hosts had built an imposing 3-0 lead.

According to statistics kept by Chula Vista, the Spartans out-shot Bonita Vista 22-11 in the match.

“They had the most shots but once we got those two counter goals, the game changed,” Murphy said. “They had a lot of pressure but I’ll take our defense against anyone in the county.”

Murphy singled out one word: focus.

“We’ve had it all season except for one game — the one we lost 3-0 to Mater Dei,” the BV coach said.

There’s no question the Barons have had a fine season with a 16-5-1 overall record and No. 6 section ranking — fourth among Division I teams.

At 5-1-1 after Tuesday’s key victory, Bonita Vista owned a two-point lead on Chula Vista (4-1-2, 9-6-4) in the league standings with three games remaining. The Spartans defeated Mater Dei, 3-1, on Feb. 3 to keep pace with the Barons.

Boys soccer: Barons, Spartans playing toward showdown
Posted Feb. 4, 2010
The high school soccer season is rapidly coming to a close and, with it, so is final jostling for league championships and playoff seeding. The Metro Conference advanced two boys teams —Mater Dei Catholic and Southwest — to San Diego Section championship games last year. How many will it be this season?

The Bonita Vista Barons entered the midpoint of the 2009-10 season ranked third among section boys teams. A 3-0 loss to Southern California Division IV regional champion Mater Dei on Jan. 27 likely compromised that standing. It only serves to underscore the quality of play in the South County this season.

The Chula Vista Spartans captured last season’s Mesa League championship and were out to a 3-0 start in league play following last Friday’s 3-1 victory against the visiting Eastlake Titans. The Spartans and Barons met in a rescheduled rainout game on Monday, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw that kept Chula Vista on top of the league standings — for now, anyway.

Chula Vista (8-5-3 overall) sported a 3-0-1 record through four of 10 league matches while Bonita Vista was 2-1-1 in league play, 13-5-1 overall.

Prior to toppling the Barons, Mater Dei opened league play with ties against Hilltop (1-1 on Jan. 20) and Eastlake (2-2 on Jan. 22). The Crusaders improved to 6-0-3 overall after defeating Bonita Vista, a school with more than three times the student enrollment.

Chula Vista earned the No. 2 seed in last year’s Division I playoffs after compiling a 23-4-2 regular season record and owned a comfortable halftime lead in its quarterfinal-round playoff match against Escondido at Otay Ranch High School. But everything fell apart in the second half as the Cougars escaped with an improbable 4-2 victory.

“A nightmare game,” Spartan coach Ruben Oliveiros said. “We put in an own goal.”

With 10 returners off last year’s league championship team, Chula Vista is looking to make amends for last season’s nightmarish finish. The Spartans were squarely challenged by the Titans in last Friday’s match-up, with Eastlake’s Angel Gonzalez scoring the opening goal of the second half to place the teams in a 1-1 deadlock on the scoreboard. The Titans continued to carry the momentum until the final 15 minutes of the game when the hosts pumped in two goals past emergency goalkeeper Christian Mederos.

Alex Camacho led CV with two goals — one in each half — while teammate Julian Garcia scored once.

“It’s always tough defending a championship,” Oliveiros said. “Everyone is wanting to knock you off. Everyone plays their best against you.”

The Spartans got off to an admittedly slow start while hampered by injuries to key players, thus dulling their performance in the season opening Coronado and Metro Conference tournaments. The team has only recently got everyone back healthy in the lineup and results are starting to show on the field, according to the CV coach.

“Now we’ve got everybody healthy and playing together in a rhythm,” Oliveiros said. “Now that we’ve got everyone back, we’re starting to click. Hopefully those early season injuries will be a plus for us because we’ll have so many fresh legs at the end of the season.”

Bonita Vista scored the jump goal in Monday’s high profile encounter as Marco Gutierrez headed in a cross with about 10 left in the first half. The Barons controlled the game through its middle stages but the Spartans began to build momentum during the second half. Hector Carrillo scored the equalizer on a header with about 10 minutes elapsed in the second half.

“The tie is not a bad thing but I think we could have come out with a win,” Oliveiros said.

The CV coach was pleased that his team did not panic after going down early in perhaps its most critical game yet in the season.

“We still had a lot of time to play in the game,” Oliveiros said. “I told the guys to be patient. We still had a full half to go. I think we played well except for the last 10 minutes of the first half.”

Bonita Vista had climbed near the top of the region’s prep soccer polls following 3-1 road victories against Torrey Pines and Poway.

The Barons topped Poway on Jan. 7 and defeated Torrey Pines on Jan. 14. Prior to the upset wins, the Barons had resided at the No. 6 ranking position. “After we beat both those teams on the road, people started noticing us,” Murphy said.

Following the league setback to Mater Dei, however, it was back down the rankings for Bonita Vista, which entered this week ranked ninth among section teams, fifth among Division I squads.
Mater Dei, meanwhile, sky-rocketed to this week’s No. 4 section ranking.

Rancho Bernardo retains the section’s No. 1 team, according to the weekly coaches poll.

Bonita Vista, with a depleted lineup, lost 2-1 to the Broncos in the opening game of the season on Dec. 1.

Much has changed since then. The Barons went 5-1 in December’s Metro Conference tournament, topping Sweetwater, 7-0, in the championship game. The score in the previous game was Bonita Vista 8, Olympian 0.

“We have one goal — that is to win CIF,” Murphy said. “We always want to win our league. But if we don’t, I think with this group we have, if we can get into the dance (section playoffs), we have a good chance to win it. Things look very promising.”

Bonita Vista improved to 13-5 on the season following last Friday’s 2-1 win at Hilltop. The Barons received goals from Carlos Arredondo and Adrian Budihardja.
Murphy’s side kicked off league play with a 3-1 victory against Eastlake on Jan. 20.

Bonita Vista was scheduled to finish this week with matches against visiting Otay Ranch on Wednesday and at Eastlake on Friday (5 p.m.). The Spartans and Barons rematch Feb. 9 at BVHS in a 3:30 p.m. clash.

“It will probably come down to when we play Chula Vista again toward the end of the season,” Murphy said. “Every game is important right now.”

South Bay League
Montgomery entered the week ranked seventh among section boys teams, third among Division III teams behind second-ranked Cathedral Catholic and sixth-ranked St. Augustine.

The Aztecs battled to a 2-2 draw with Southwest on Monday (that served to tighten up the South Bay League standings a bit). Montgomery topped Castle Park, 3-1, last Friday and defeated Olympian, 4-2, the previous Wednesday.

Both the Aztecs and Raiders excelled in the Southern California Classic over the holiday break. Montgomery went undefeated in its five games with four victories and one tie to capture the Premier Division championship. Southwest advanced to the quarterfinals of the Elite Division before suffering a 3-1 loss to eventual champion St. Augustine.

The Aztecs defeated University City, West Hills, Vista and Oceanside and played to a 2-2 standoff against Rancho Buena Vista, currently the second-ranked team in the section.
Montgomery kicked off league play with a 2-1 loss to Castle Park but has since reeled off a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2).

Following Monday’s tie game against the Aztecs, Southwest improved to 4-1-1 in league play, with wins against Mar Vista, Castle Park, Sweetwater and San Ysidro and a loss to San Ysidro.

Girls soccer: Hilltop takes slim Mesa League lead
Posted Feb. 4, 2010
While many high school athletic programs have downsized their schedules in the wake of the current economic crisis, the Hilltop High School girls soccer team has not downsized its expectations to win a league championship.

The Lancers (11-2-4) took the equivalent of an inswinging cornerkick toward that goal by defeating the visiting Eastlake Titans, 1-0, Wednesday to take over sole possession of first place in the Mesa League standings.

Eastlake (6-4-2) had entered the game as this year’s front-runner with a 4-0-0 league record while defending league champion Hilltop sported a 3-0-1 mark —the lone blemish a 1-1 draw against Otay Ranch on Jan. 22.

Following the Lancers’ clutch win — enabled on a second-half goal by Marissa Espino — Hilltop stood atop the league standings with a 4-0-1 record while the Titans dropped to 4-1-0. Since wins are worth three points in the standings and ties worth just one point, the Lancers actually only own a one-point advantage. But at the midpoint of the 2009-10 league campaign, it means everything right now.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we had to be prepared and ready to play it,” said Espino, who notched the game’s lone goal on a shot from eight yards out midway through the second half assisted by speedster Jessica Carrillo.

Hilltop graduated seven players off last year’s Mesa League championship team but much of the core talent returns — and so does the memory of earning the No. 1 seed in the San Diego Section Division II playoffs only to lose in their first post-season outing.

Espino said that is enough to motivate the returners this season.

“We knew we weren’t prepared for that game and could have taken it,” she said. “It’s helped to motivate us this year. We want to go further and go all the way to win CIF.”

Espino is joined by Memery Dewberry, Nicole Wolfe and Carrillo as the team’s top scorers this season. The Lancers remain a team built for the future with a large junior and sophomore class but team chemistry has helped mature those championship hopes this season.

Hilltop kicked off the season by winning its division in the Barons-Howie tournament and then advanced to the semifinals of the Vaquero tournament. The Lancers have not lost a game since Dec. 21.

“We’re a strong team,” said Elizabeth Hines, one of two team captains (Kiera Murphy being the other). “We motivate ourselves. We work together. We all get along and that’s important, too.”
The race for the league title is far from over. In fact, it could go down to the very last game of the regular season when Hilltop visits Eastlake on Feb. 19. Of its final five games, the Lancers play three on the road.

Sweetwater kicks it
The Sweetwater High School girls soccer team kicked off South Bay League play Jan. 6 with a 6-0 victory against the visiting Olympian Eagles. Joanna Carrillo led the Red Devils with four goals while Brenda Coronel and Tami Rojas each scored single goals. Beatriz Mateo received credit for the shutout victory by making two saves.

SuHi’s offense remained in high gear by recording a 9-0 non-league victory against visiting Calexico on Jan. 9. Cindy Carrillo led the Devils with four goals and two assists while Joanna had two goals and one assist and Rojas scored twice. Mateo made four saves to record her second consecutive shutout win.

The two breakaway victories raised Sweetwater’s overall record to 4-6 after a 1-2 showing in the Barons-Howie tournament and an 0-4 showing in the Mustangs Cup in December.

Barons-Howie Tournament
Girls soccer tournament showcases awareness of ALS

Updated Dec. 9, 2009
The largest high school girls soccer tournament in the state has a new name this year. The Barons tournament has now become the Barons-Howie Classic.

The 30th annual edition of the tourney is special in more ways than one. The tournament is throwing a deserving spotlight on ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Howie,” the event’s new namesake, is Howie Hawver, whom tournament director Ron Pietila calls a mainstay in the San Diego soccer community and who is now battling the disease.

Hawver wears several hats as coach of the Patrick Henry High School boys team, Grossmont College women’s team and San Diego Spirit girls youth teams.

Hawver, who has been coaching for 20 years, was diagnosed with the disease late last year.

Pietila, the Bonita Vista girls coach, said the name change holds the hope of providing awareness for the disease.

“It will perhaps remind people we need added resolve in researching and treating ALS,” he said.

The tournament is expected to make a donation to an ALS organization of Hawver’s choice.

The local soccer community has responded in kind.

This year’s tournament field features 96 teams and sold out in a week’s time, Pietila said.

Competition in varsity and junior varsity divisions began Monday and continues through Dec. 12.

Hilltop and Olympian high schools are serving as co-hosts. Bonita Vista is the primary host.

Varsity playoffs and finals will take place Saturday, Dec. 5. Junior varsity playoffs and finals are scheduled the following Saturday.

Bonita Vista and Eastlake are competing in the Premier Division while Otay Ranch, Hilltop and Mater Dei are in the Unlimited Division. Chula Vista and Sweetwater are competing in the Limited Division while High Tech High-Chula Vista, Mar Vista, Montgomery, Southwest and Olympian are in the Classic Division.

Visit http://members.cox.net/ rkpietournament/schedule.htm for updated scores and standings.

For more information on ALS, visit the Web sites at www.alsa,org and www.alsasd.org.

Tournament Finals
Lancers appear on a mission in 2009-10
After earning the No. 1 seed in last season’s San Diego Section Division II playoffs, the Hilltop Lancers girls soccer team promptly exited in its first post-season match. Yes, the Lancers were beaten by eventual division champion Point Loma. But the one-and-out exit still had to sting.

The Lancers did the stinging in last Saturday’s Baron-Howie Tournament playoffs by eliminating three higher-seeded teams en route to capturing the Unlimited Division title.

Hilltop, seeded sixth, pulled off three upset wins to wear the division crown. The Lancers opened with a 5-1 quarterfinal victory against third-seeded La Jolla Country Day, then eliminated top-seeded Steele Canyon by a 2-1 score before topping second-seeded University City, 2-1, in the championship game.

Hilltop’s Nicole Wolfe earned honors as the division’s Most Valuable Player. She led four Lancers on the all-tournament team. Also earning all-tourney honors were Hilltop’s Marisa Espino, Samantha Martinez and Memery Newbery.

Hilltop finished behind University City in pool play with victories against Francis Parker (1-0) and Helix (2-0) and a 1-1 draw against the Centurions. The Lancers actually finished with more points than two pool champions, so receiving the No. 6 seed as a pool runner-up was somewhat misleading.

Hilltop finished 5-0-1 in tournament play.

Playoff competition in four varsity divisions took place at three sites: Bonita Vista, Olympian and Hilltop high schools. The Premier Division final was at Bonita Vista, the Limited Division final at Olympian and the Unlimited Division and Classic Division finals at Hilltop.

Premier Division
The Premier Division playoffs proved to be equally upsetting as the final pitted the fifth-seeded Poway Titans against the third-seeded Bishop’s Knights. The Titans pulled off three successive upset victories, including two in overtime.

Poway upended fourth-seeded Eastlake, 2-1, in double overtime in the quarterfinals before eliminating top-seeded Patrick Henry, 5-2, in the semifinals. Bishop’s topped sixth-seeded Bonita Vista, 2-0, in the quarterfinals before subduing second-seeded Granite Hills, 3-1, in the semifinals.

Poway scored a 2-1 overtime win over the Knights in the championship game.

Poway’s Chloe Harrington was named division MVP after scoring both overtime winners in Saturday’s playoffs. The Titans, who are coached by former Bonita Vista standout Jen Lalor-Nielsen, ran their early season record to 4-1-1 with the tourney championship.

Eastlake and Bonita Vista each had two players named to the all-tournament team. Eastlake’s selections included Joanna Ortega and Chelsea Almario while Bonita Vista’s picks included Jenna Yutsus and Lauren Boyd.

Eastlake recorded two wins in pool play: 3-0 against Valhalla and 1-0 against Rancho Bernardo. Bonita Vista tied San Pasqual (1-1) and Patrick Henry (2-2).
Classic Division

Mar Vista (2-1-2 in tourney play) defeated Southwest in the quarterfinals before dropping a 2-1 match to eventual division champion Oceanside in the semifinals. The Mariners had two players named to the all-tournament team: Renee Lopez and Danielle Jones.

High Tech-Chula Vista (2-1-1 in tourney play) qualified as the No. 3 playoff seed but was upset, 2-1, in a four-overtime quarterfinal setback to sixth-seeded Orange Glen.

Barons-Howie Tournament
Saturday, Dec. 5
Premier Division
Quarterfinals
(3) Bishop’s 2, (6) Bonita Vista 0
(5) Poway 2, (4) Eastlake 1 (2OT)
Semifinals
(5) Poway 5, (1) Patrick Henry 2
(3) Bishop’s 3, (2) Granite Hills 1
Championship
(5) Poway 2, (3) Bishop’s 1 (OT)

Unlimited Division
Quarterfinals
(6) Hilltop 5, (3) La Jolla Country Day 1
(4) Mira Mesa 1, (5) Scripps Ranch 0 (4OT)
Semifinals
(6) Hilltop 2, (1) Steele Canyon 1
(2) University City 1, (4) Mira Mesa 0
Championship
(6) Hilltop 2, (2) University City 1

Limited Division
Quarterfinals
(3) Our Lady of Peace 1, (6) Santana 0 (4OT)
(4) Serra defeated (5) Clairemont, score unavailable
Semifinals
(2) Fallbrook 1, (3) Our Lady of Peace 0 (4OT)
(1) Mt. Carmel defeated (4) Serra, score unavailable
Championship
(1) Mt. Carmel 1, (2) Fallbrook 0

Classic Division
Quarterfinals
(4) Mar Vista defeated (5) Southwest, score unavailable
(6) Orange Glen 2, (3) High Tech-Chula Vista 1 (4OT)
Semifinals
(1) Canyon Crest 5, (6) Orange Glen 0
(2) Oceanside 2, (4) Mar Vista 1
Championship
(2) Oceanside 4 (4 OT), (1) Canyon Crest 3