Beaumont High's Soccer Season Comes to an End

The boys’ soccer season came down to a best-of-three series for Beaumont High School.

The Cougars had split their first two games with fellow Mountain Pass League member Citrus Hill.

But on Tuesday Beaumont couldn’t finish it off, its season ending with a 2-0 loss to the surging Hawks in a CIF-Southern Section Div. 6 semifinal.

Beaumont ends the season with a 15-7-5 record and its deepest postseason run in school history.

“It was a terrific season,” said Beaumont coach Barry Steele, whose team won runner-up honors in the MPL and won two of its four playoff games in overtime. “We’ve never been this far. It’s a bit of a disappointment with the way it ended but overall it was a terrific season. It was a great run.”

Citrus Hill (12-4-5) will continue its surprise run this weekend in its first CIF final in school history.

“I can’t even describe how excited we are,” said Hawks coach Kelly Reck, whose team was the fourth place finisher in the MPL and was an at-large playoff entry. “Had we lost it would still be a fantastic season. Even if we lost to a classy and physical team like Beaumont we would not be ashamed of the season.”

A pair of quick goals, one at the 10 minute mark in the first half and another at the 10 minute mark of the second half, all but ended Beaumont’s hopes of reaching its first CIF title game.

“It’s frustrating to get this far and then make those mistakes,” Steele said. “It’s one thing at half way in the season but in the last game on a stage this big, to make those mistakes is difficult.”

“They just really get at you in the sense that they get on all the 50-50 balls and work for 80 minutes,” Steele said. “They really get after you. That is a quality team. They don’t have any weaknesses and constantly get after you. They rose to the occasion and we didn’t.”

The first goal stunned the Cougars and it took nearly the remainder of the first half for them to regain their composure. Just before halftime the Cougars took their best shot of the half -  a header by Ty Hopp off a corner kick by Alex Gonzalez. Hopp’s shot bounced just right of the goal.

Beaumont had four corner kick opportunities and a handful of indirect kick chances as well, but couldn’t convert.

“Our defense right now is playing exceptionally well,” Reck said. “It really has come together as a unit. It refuses to let anyone behind them. They play physical and just do not allow anybody behind them.”