Boys Soccer: Titans Top RB, Share Palomar Title

Rebounding from its only loss of the season, the Poway High boys soccer team grabbed a share of the Palomar League crown Friday night with a 2-0 victory over Rancho Bernardo on the Broncos' rainswept field.

The Titans (23-1-3, 7-1-2), the second-ranked prep team in the nation according to ESPNRise.com, were handed a tough 2-1 loss by Westview on Wednesday and needed a victory to remain tied with the Wolverines (16-2-5, 7-1-2), who beat Mt. Carmel 1-0 on Friday. Rancho Bernardo (14-5-1, 6-4) finished third in the league.

Poway's game with Westview came on the heels of an incident during its win over Ramona. Sweeper Sean Gallagher sustained several broken bones in his face after being punched three times by a Bulldogs player. He hasn't been able to play since.

“Absolutely horrible, never seen anything like that in my life. It tarnished the game,” said Poway coach Eugene Morris. “Sean’s an emotional leader out on the field, and he's impossible to replace.”

Although Gallagher couldn't play Friday, he was on the sidelines to cheer his teammates on and give them some inspiration.

“This brought us all together to strive for the same goal,” said Gallagher. “We’re together as a team now, not just individuals.”

Rancho Bernardo had the first serious scoring opportunity 20 minutes in, with the Ethan Story hammering a ball into the back of the net, but the Titans were able to breathe a sigh of relief when he was ruled offsides.

“That would have gotten us the advantage, and kept our heads in the game,” said junior forward Story. “We needed to stay positive after that.”

The game remained scoreless until nine minutes before halftime, when the Titans’ Ben Faller was left wide open and headed in a goal off a corner kick from Eric Budniewski.

Three minutes into the second half, Faller struck again, heading in another goal off a bouncing ball in front of the Broncos net to make it 2-0.

“This game was for Sean,” said Faller, who wore Gallagher’s number and played his sweeper position. “It felt great to win one for my best friend. We now have all the confidence we need heading into the playoffs.”

Late in the game the high-powered RB offense had some solid opportunities, but  Titans’ goalie Zach McDonnell made some huge saves to secure the shutout.

“The team played out of their minds this year,” said Morris of his players. “I couldn’t be prouder to be a Titan.”

Even with the loss, the Broncos are sure to be among the top seeds in the section playoffs. Poway should move on as the No. 1 overall seed and will host a playoff game Friday at home.

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