Cate lives the dream, wins first CIF Soccer title

DOWNEY — Cate’s dream season in boys soccer was capped by a dream game from a freshman player.

Teddy Mauze experienced the ultimate final game, scoring a hat trick to lead the Rams to a 3-1 victory over Mammoth in the CIF Division 7 championship match Saturday at Warren High’s Justice Stadium in Downey.

It was the first soccer title for Cate and the second for a Condor League school.

The top-seeded Rams finished the season a perfect 22-0-0. No. 2 seeded Mammoth finished at 21-3-3.

Mauze scored his three goals in the second half after the Rams trailed 1-0 at halftime.

His first came less than a minute into the second half. Joshua Yaro, Cate’s sophomore speed-burner center back, brought the ball up the left side and crossed into the middle of the penalty area, where senior forward Avery Schwartz cracked a shot that was blocked a pair of Mammoth defenders. As the ball deflected toward the top of the box, Mauze stepped up and fired a shot that beat goalkeeper Juan Ferro to knot the score at 1-1.

Cate coach Dave Mochel moved Mauze up top with Schwartz in the second half to give the Rams more options, and the change paid off handsomely.

The Rams gained control of the midfield and increased the pressure on Mammoth’s back line. They had several quality shots blocked by defenders, the goalkeeper, or just miss wide.

It was off one of the blocked shots that Mauze gave the Rams a 2-1 lead. In the 72nd minute, Ema Boateng hit a blistering half-volley on goal that all Fero could do was block with his hands. The opportunistic Mauze was in the right place for the rebound and put it away.

Four minutes later, Mauze received the ball on a fortuitous bounce off the head of a Mammoth defender, broke in uncontested and beat Fero with a well-placed shot from 19 yards.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” said Mauze. “I was in the right place at the right time. I was offsides on the last one, I have to be honest. Things just went our way, so it feels good.”

Jackson Mauze, Cate’s senior defensive midfielder, was overjoyed about his brother’s performance in the championship game.

“It means a whole,” he said. “I waited four years for this, to have him here and also to try and get here (to win CIF title).”

“I walked over to him and said, ‘Holy Cow,’ Mochel said. “And he said to me, ‘I like big games, coach.’ He came through. He’s patient, he waits for his opportunities. He has this magical style the way he plays ball across his body, the way he uses his body to get between the ball and the player, and eventually it fell. His finish on the third goal was beautiful.”

Teddy’s finish on the third goal was clinical, but it was a brilliant play by Yaro that made it all possible. He tackled the ball away from Mammoth’s star forward Emilio Flores in the Cate penalty area and, while being knocked down, managed to boot a 60-yard ball up field. A Mammoth defender attempted to head it forward but it skipped off his head right into Mauze’s path for the breakaway.

“(Yaro and Boateng) play with such intensity, skill, speed and power,” Mochel said. “They’re constant threat, putting balls where they need to go.”

The Rams came out flying in the first finals appearance and fed Avery for several quality scoring chances. But Mammoth defended well and frustrated the Yale-bound forward.

The Huskies stayed patient and poised, and cashed in on one of their few good chances.

Flores intercepted a Cate goal kick on the ground, beat his defender one on one and fired a shot past goalkeeper Blake Wands.

It was only the second time this season the Rams trailed in a game. They trailed against Harvard Westlake, a Division 1 school.

“It was a bit of shocker early on,” said Jackson Mauze. “It was just a mental lapse in the back, but I don’t think anyone thought we couldn’t come back. We weren’t worried, just a little frustrated.”

Said Mochel: “There was moment when we were a little stunned. We were back on our heels. I give Mammoth credit for really working the midfield hard, running to balls and winning balls n the air.”

But after 21 straight wins without a loss, Rams were confident they’d come back

“I think they knew, even when they scored the goal. It was a matter time till we’d win this game,” said Mochel.

“We went down 1-nil and we never stopped believing, and we were able to come through,” said Avery.

Mochel said Avery summed up in the team’s huddle however everybody felt about winning the title.

“Avery said It couldn’t get much better than this,” Mochel related. “And we all agreed.”