Corona del Mar Wins, Advances to Soccer Quarterfinals

In a wide open, physical game, the Corona del Mar High boys soccer team held off Santa Ana Valley, 4-2, on Wednesday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.

The Sea Kings scored in the first five minutes of the game, but eventually needed a late insurance goal in the 70^th minute to keep the Falcons at bay. Brian Ford scored on a penalty kick that would prove to be the game-winner, but when the Falcons closed the gap to 3-2, with a free kick goal from Jose Montes De Oca in the 65^th minute, the Falcons began pressing for the tying goal.

Although, after the Sea Kings took their 1-0 lead on a goal by junior forward Jake Maxwell, the Falcons stepped up their intensity and the game became a back-and-forth shootout. In the 11^th minute, the Falcons nearly tied the score with a crossing shot from the right side, but a diving tip by junior goalie Connor Gaal deflected the ball out of the back of the goal line.

“As soon as we scored on them they were different, they were coming with everything and they didn’t stop, so it made for an exciting open game,” Corona del Mar coach George Larsen said.

The Falcons did tie the score in the 19^th minute with a chip-shot goal by Arturo Olivo that appeared to glance off another player before being redirected into the left side of the goal. Larsen said that the Falcons had several fast players who handled the ball well and they had to be aware of their attacks on the outside. It made for a fast and energetic game, Larsen said.

The Sea Kings responded in the 38^th minute when they were awarded a free kick from just outside the goal box on the right side of the field. Junior defender Jack Gorab put the kick to the far side of the goal and the ball arced just over the outstretched goalie’s hand and hit the far post and bounced in to give the Sea Kings a 2-1 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Sea Kings again got the early jump when sophomore forward Conor Roche drew a penalty when he was taken down in the goal box on a rush toward the goal. Senior midfielder Brian Ford took the shot and slid a low rolling shot into the right side of the goal to give the Sea Kings a 3-1 lead.

With a two-goal lead, the Sea Kings got defensive and moved Gorab to left defender to counter the Falcon’s strong right-side attack. After getting a yellow card, Ford moved to right defender, while junior midfielders Grady Howe and Mason Case took over middle defender spots. Howe was returning to the lineup after missing the regular season with an injury.

“It was more about managing the lead at that point,” Larsen said.

Still, the Falcons were able to score on Montes De Oca’s goal on a free kick from the left side that hit the right post and bounced back into the goal. But the Sea Kings were able to regain their insurance goal in the 70^th minute off a corner kick by Gorab that was headed in by Mason Case. Case said the bulk of players were lined up at the far post and he and Gorab made a site adjustment.

“We both noticed an open space in the front, so he just put a ball in the front and I got there,” Case said.

The Sea Kings (15-2-7), runners-up in the Pacific Coast League, will be on the road on Friday to play at Santa Maria, a 1-0 winner over Oxnard, in the quarterfinals. Santa Ana Valley, the runner-up in the Orange League, finished 17-9-0.