Crescenta Valley boys' soccer reaches Brandt title match

Falcons post shutout of El Camino Real behind two second-half goals.

December 08, 2012|By Nathan Cambridge

BURBANK -- After a scoreless first half in its Ralph Brandt Tournament semifinal game against El Camino Real, the Crescenta Valley High soccer team dialed up two long-distance goals to seize control of the match Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

“Great strikes, those were world-class shots,” Crescenta Valley Coach Grant Clark said.

Those scores held up, thanks to three equally stellar second-half saves by goalie Josh Cook, and the Falcons defeated the previously unbeaten Conquistadors, 2-0, to advance to the tournament final Monday night at St. Francis.

In the game’s 48th minute, Falcon Erick Trejo was briefly left alone in space in the middle of the field some 30 yards away from the goal. The senior collected himself with his dribble and uncorked a wicked shot that dipped just underneath the crossbar, leaving El Camino Real goalie Luka Joncich helpless to stop it.

“At halftime we just discussed the importance of getting a shot on target, because we didn’t really test the goalie,” Trejo said. “So first chance I get I thought I’d open it up and just see what could happen. I was just as surprised as everyone else when I hit it.”

Less than five minutes later, Falcon Pablo Hernandez followed Trejo’s lead. In the center of the field, once again roughly 30 yards out, Hernandez quickly unleashed a powerful rising shot that flew to the left of Joncich into the back of the net to give Crescenta Valley (7-0-1) the 2-0 advantage it would never yield.

“I saw a whole bunch of space. I saw the goalie come out, so I just decided to put it in,” Hernandez, also a senior, said. “We needed a second goal.”

The two outside goals would not have been enough if not for the play of the Falcon net minder Cook, who in the minute before the Trejo goal came up big. In the game’s 47th minute, Conquistador Maurice Morton received a pass that put him point blank in front of the goalmouth with only Cook to stop him. Morton struck a hard shot, but the Falcons’ senior keeper got his arms up to deflect the ball. Morton got it again and, once again from point-blank distance, shot the ball, only to see Cook repeat his feat and get his arms up to knock the ball away. It came down to James Rincon, who put the ball into the net, but did so from off-sides position, negating the El Camino Real (5-1) goal.

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