After winning the South Torrance Tournament in the two previous years, the Santa Barbara High boys soccer team was eliminated in the semifinals after a 1-0 loss to Leuzinger.
In its first match of the day, Santa Barbara played Palos Verdes, the fifth ranked team in CIF Division I.
The Dons, who entered the tournament as the seventh ranked team in Division I, outshot the Sea Kings 15-2, but were unable to score a goal in regulation.
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Midfielder Alberto Hernandez kept the Dons on the offensive by winning balls in the midfield and settling the game down, and distributing to the attacking players.
The match ended 0-0 and went directly to a penalty kick shootout.
Santa Barbara goalkeeper Elvis Mancilla was able to come up with a clutch save and give his team a 5-4 victory and a spot in the semi-final.
Against Leuzinger, the Dons again were able to drastically outshoot their opponents, and took 11 shots to Leuzinger’s three.
But Leuzinger was able to convert one of its three shots, and went ahead 1-0 in the 31st minute. The score would stay that way, and the Dons were eliminated from the tournament for the first time in three years.
“That’s soccer,” head coach Todd Heil said. “You’re going to get your chances and you have to finish them, and if you don’t, you have to live with the result.”
Santa Barbara (6-3-3) will play either North Torrance or Narbonne in a third-place consolation match tomorrow.
