St. Francis didn’t have a shot.
Well, actually, the Golden Knights had three — but it didn’t seem like they had a shot at winning Friday’s marquee boys soccer matchup with Santa Barbara High at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons (8-0), ranked third in Division II, dominated the Golden Knights (2-3), the No. 4 team in Division I, by a score of 4-1, allowing a penalty kick in the final 10 minutes. Santa Barbara out-shot St. Francis 13-3 in the victory, looking like the faster and more cohesive unit the whole way through.
“Both teams played hard, but I think we might have worked better together as a team. I think our passing wore them out a little bit,” said Santa Barbara’s Tyler Schleich, who scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute.
Christian Pardo chucked a long throw-in that was received by Justin Jimenez, who sent the ball across for Schleich right in front of the goal. The junior defender headed it right into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
“We missed a mark on that first goal. I think that built them some confidence and we looked a little shaken,” said St. Francis coach Glen Appels. “They were really a quality team. I felt like we could have done a lot better, but my hat’s off to them. That was a good display of soccer.”
Just a few minutes after Schleich’s goal, Pardo got the ball all alone on the left side and sneaked it inside the near post to make it 2-0. The score held into halftime, with the Golden Knights failing to get off any shots in the period.
Sophomore forward Alfredo Ibarra was hustling after every ball on the night, and his persistence paid off less than 10 minutes into the second half when a loose ball was rolling towards the St. Francis goal. Ibarra had two defenders in between himself and the ball, but he kept chugging and got through them before putting it by the Golden Knights’ goalie.
“We try to get them to understand that in our system, with two forwards, we’ve gotta press. We’ve gotta press up top or else we’re going to get stretched out,” said Heil. “That’s just a kid working hard and trying to score a goal.”
The most impressive score was the fourth, from sophomore Alberto Hernandez. A corner kick was headed out by Luis Santana, and Hernandez used a one-timer to rocket it into the back of the net from 20 yards out.
“He’s got a cannon of a right leg, and he showed it today,” said Heil. “It’s nice when it’s on frame, and the keeper didn’t really have a chance on that one.”
Heil added that having a whole week of practice to prepare for the match was a big factor, but there will be no such break this time. Santa Barbara, now 8-0, will play next in the prestigious South Torrance Tournament beginning on Monday. St. Francis falls to 2-3 on the year.
