Alex Berger

Just a throw-in away from the Crescenta Valley High soccer field are several concrete walls. Most of the time, nearby residents occupy the territory to smash or loft tennis balls. For Crescenta Valley boys' soccer player Alex Berger, he's got other ideas concerning how to use the walls to help him improve athletically. Over the past couple of seasons, the standout senior midfielder has spent several hours a week practicing free kicks against the wall. He's found a target on the walls, pretending that it's a teammate.

BOYS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley 6, Culver City 0: Pavle Atanackovic scored a pair of goals Tuesday to lift the Falcons (4-0-4) to a pool-play road victory in the Westside Tournament. Crescenta Valley, which hasn't allowed a goal in its last five matches, got one goal apiece from Alex Berger, Erick Trejo, Eric Keshishian and Tony Royer. GIRLS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley 1, Golden Valley 0: The host Falcons (2-3) picked up a nonleague victory Tuesday.

LA CRESCENTA — Having already wrapped up its second consecutive Pacific League championship, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team had one other goal to meet in its regular-season finale Thursday afternoon — finish unbeaten in league. It took some time for the Falcons to accomplish that feat, but second-half goals from Alex Berger, Ray Abghary and Pavle Atanackovic helped the host Falcons net a 3-0 league win against rival Arcadia. Crescenta Valley improved to 13-2-5, 11-0-3 in league and will await who its first-round playoff opponent will be when the CIF office unveils its pairings Monday.

PASADENA — As the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team trailed its Pacific League match against Muir from nearly the beginning on Friday, Falcons Coach Kiel McClung continued to preach patience from his position on the sideline. Sure enough, the goals came eventually, with Salar Hajimirsadeghi and Alex Berger finding the back of the net for Crescenta Valley inside the last 10 minutes to salvage a 2-2 tie on the road. And, while the Falcons were relieved to avoid a loss, the emotions were a bit mixed, as the result saw the Mustangs remain in first place in league despite an overwhelming shot and opportunity advantage for CV, not to mention a defensive gaffe midway through the second half that allowed Muir to score its second goal without even having to take a shot.

LA CRESCENTA — After winning its CIF Southern Section Division IV first-round match Friday afternoon, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team erased forgettable memories of last season's unexpectedly short-lived playoff run, in which they were upset after winning a program-first Pacific League title. More importantly, however, the sudden-death goal from Alex Berger that put an end to a nailbiter played on a wet field at Crescenta Valley High put the Falcons into the second round and raises the possibility of a deep playoff run after going undefeated in the Pacific League and winning league yet again.

TORRANCE —Locked in a scoreless tie with North Torrance late in the second half, Michael Shahnazarians and the Falcons took advantage of a fortuitous break that resulted in their season staying alive. Shahnazarians scored with 16 minutes remaining to lift visiting Crescenta Valley to a 1-0 win Wednesday afternoon in a CIF Southern Section Division IV second-round match. Shahnazarians corralled a rebound and lined a low shot past North Torrance goalkeeper James Lisardi, who had just stopped a shot by Alex Berger.

LA CRESCENTA — While still rolling through the season without a defeat, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team has hardly been a juggernaut. There's been times during this season's Pacific League title defense when the Falcons have given other teams hope after allowing them to hang around for a half or more. Friday afternoon's rivalry matchup with Arcadia was one of those times, as Crescenta Valley was locked in a scoreless tie at halftime despite holding an overwhelming possession and shot advantage.

The members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team understand what it takes to beat a top seed. The Falcons accomplished the feat when they defeated top-seeded El Rancho to win the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship - a team that was also ranked among the top five in the nation by ESPN High School. Crescenta Valley will get another crack at a No. 1 team when it meets Long Beach Millikan in a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal road match at 4 p.m. today.

DOWNEY - Throughout their historic eight-match playoff journey, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team found numerous ways to win in securing the program's first CIF Southern Section division championship before reaching the CIF Southern California Division I Regional Championships title game for the first time. On Saturday night at Warren High, the fifth-seeded Falcons saw their season end with a 2-1 loss to sixth-seeded Paramount. Some of the Crescenta Valley players were initially disappointed with the outcome, but it didn't put a damper on what the Falcons (23-1-6)

LA CRESCENTA - One team was beginning the defense of its reign atop the Pacific League, while the other is admittedly in the midst of a rebuilding season. One team, with three returning All-CIF starters, entered with an unbeaten record, while the other limped in four losses under .500. Thus, when both the Crescenta Valley High and Glendale boys' soccer teams walked away from Tuesday's league opener with the same result, it was easy to figure out who was pleased with the 1-1 stalemate and who was disappointed.

Last season's disappointment hasn't been forgotten. It still lingers with Glendale Community College men's soccer Coach Joe Agoston, who is looking to revamp the program. "Last year was a complete disappointment," said Agoston, whose team finished 4-15-2, 3-10-1 in the Western State Conference last season. "We underachieved and underperformed. "We can't have that anymore. We need to start fresh and have a group that's looking to overachieve and get some wins. " Agoston and the Vaqueros will begin their season at 3 p.m. Tuesday against host Irvine Valley College in a nonconference match.

The area's top-10 high school teams from the 2011-12 season were selected by the Glendale News-Press sports department. 1 Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming: Before the season began, Coach Jan Sakonju had a feeling that the Falcons might be in line to challenge for a CIF Southern Section Division II championship. He also knew it wouldn't be easy. Looking at his roster, the Falcons appeared to have everything in place to win the program's first CIF crown since 2000. With a cast that featured Young Tae Seo, Harrison Thai and Louis Wojciechowski, the Falcons were indeed ready for battle.

When Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer Coach Grant Clark showed up for a meeting to determine the All-Pacific League team, he encountered a surprise. None of the league's other seven coaches had submitted considerations for a league most valuable player, so Clark took the initiative and suggested his two top players, Alex Berger and Pavle Atanackovic, as potential candidates for the honor. A short time later, according to Clark, each coached voted for Berger. Berger was bestowed with the honor for the first time after leading the Falcons to the league championship for the third season in a row. The senior midfielder finished with 10 goals and 29 assists for 49 points and helped the Falcons (23-1-6, 12-0-2)

DOWNEY - Throughout their historic eight-match playoff journey, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team found numerous ways to win in securing the program's first CIF Southern Section division championship before reaching the CIF Southern California Division I Regional Championships title game for the first time. On Saturday night at Warren High, the fifth-seeded Falcons saw their season end with a 2-1 loss to sixth-seeded Paramount. Some of the Crescenta Valley players were initially disappointed with the outcome, but it didn't put a damper on what the Falcons (23-1-6)

The members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team understand what it takes to beat a top seed. The Falcons accomplished the feat when they defeated top-seeded El Rancho to win the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship - a team that was also ranked among the top five in the nation by ESPN High School. Crescenta Valley will get another crack at a No. 1 team when it meets Long Beach Millikan in a Southern California Regional Division I semifinal road match at 4 p.m. today.

Just a throw-in away from the Crescenta Valley High soccer field are several concrete walls. Most of the time, nearby residents occupy the territory to smash or loft tennis balls. For Crescenta Valley boys' soccer player Alex Berger, he's got other ideas concerning how to use the walls to help him improve athletically. Over the past couple of seasons, the standout senior midfielder has spent several hours a week practicing free kicks against the wall. He's found a target on the walls, pretending that it's a teammate.

LA CRESCENTA — While still rolling through the season without a defeat, the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team has hardly been a juggernaut. There's been times during this season's Pacific League title defense when the Falcons have given other teams hope after allowing them to hang around for a half or more. Friday afternoon's rivalry matchup with Arcadia was one of those times, as Crescenta Valley was locked in a scoreless tie at halftime despite holding an overwhelming possession and shot advantage.

LA CRESCENTA - One team was beginning the defense of its reign atop the Pacific League, while the other is admittedly in the midst of a rebuilding season. One team, with three returning All-CIF starters, entered with an unbeaten record, while the other limped in four losses under .500. Thus, when both the Crescenta Valley High and Glendale boys' soccer teams walked away from Tuesday's league opener with the same result, it was easy to figure out who was pleased with the 1-1 stalemate and who was disappointed.

BOYS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley 6, Culver City 0: Pavle Atanackovic scored a pair of goals Tuesday to lift the Falcons (4-0-4) to a pool-play road victory in the Westside Tournament. Crescenta Valley, which hasn't allowed a goal in its last five matches, got one goal apiece from Alex Berger, Erick Trejo, Eric Keshishian and Tony Royer. GIRLS' SOCCER Crescenta Valley 1, Golden Valley 0: The host Falcons (2-3) picked up a nonleague victory Tuesday.

TORRANCE —Locked in a scoreless tie with North Torrance late in the second half, Michael Shahnazarians and the Falcons took advantage of a fortuitous break that resulted in their season staying alive. Shahnazarians scored with 16 minutes remaining to lift visiting Crescenta Valley to a 1-0 win Wednesday afternoon in a CIF Southern Section Division IV second-round match. Shahnazarians corralled a rebound and lined a low shot past North Torrance goalkeeper James Lisardi, who had just stopped a shot by Alex Berger.