UC Santa Barbara recruit Ema Boateng recorded a goal and two assists for Cate. (Presidio Sports Photos)
Avery Schwartz scored three times on Tuesday as the top-seeded Cate boys soccer team advanced through the second round of the CIF Division 7 playoff with a 5-2 victory over visiting Coast Union.
Schwartz’s first two gave Cate a 2-0 lead at halftime and his third gave the Rams a commanding 5-1 lead on the Broncos in the 65th minute.
“I got a lot of good feeds from my midfielders and other guys. I was able to take my chances,” Schwartz said after the game.
Coast Union's Victor Casas broke the school record for most goals in a season with his 35th on Tuesday.
The Yale-bound senior now has five goals in two postseason games and is on pace to match last year’s playoff total of 11 goals scored in five games.
After a 9-0 rout for Cate in the first round, Coast Union provided a stronger challenge to the defending divisional champs who are again a big favorite to win the Division 7 crown.
“They played tough, even when we went up, they kept fighting back,” Schwartz said. “It was just a completely different game this time. They played a lot tougher and a lot more skilled.”
Both coaches and players agreed that Coast Union had improved since the two teams met in the regular season on January 17. Cate recorded a 6-0 victory then.
“From a coaching perspective, it was great to see these guys had retooled,” said Rams head coach Dave Mochel. “They had adjusted their game and I think played us as well as they could have possibly played us.”
Coast Union junior Victor Casas scored the Broncos’ second goal to become the school’s most prolific scorer in a single season. Casas’ 35th goal broke Isaac Torres’ record set in 1999. Casas also assisted on sophomore Oscar Catalan’s goal that made the score 4-1 in the 58th minute.
Cate goalkeeper Blake Wands comes off his line to take away a threat from Coast Union's Luis Dealba in the second half.
“I’m real proud and happy with the effort the boys put in,” said Coast Union head coach Moises Jimenez. “We made some adjustments and I think they worked for the most part.”
The Broncos finish their season with a 13-3-2 overall record. Two of the losses came from Cate though this time it wasn’t a shut out for the Rams.
The second half goals from the Broncos broke the Rams’ opportunity at a 12th shutout in 15 games.
“We just didn’t commit to playing defense in a way we typically do,” Mochel said. “Obviously it’s a good win and there were long stretches where we played well. I’m just focused on what we could do better.”
Jeffrey Acheampong and Ema Boateng also scored for Cate in the second half.
The Rams will travel for Thursday’s quarterfinal game to Don Bosco Tech, 3-0 winners over California Military Institute. The Division’s semifinals are next Tuesday.
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Also in Cate’s half of the playoff bracket, Paraclete pounded Concordia 8-0 and Academy of Academic Excellence edged Santa Clarita Christian 2-1.
Cate freshman Patrick Thomas battles with Coast Union's Luis Dealba for possession.
Cate's Joshua Yaro races upfield through Coast Union's midfield.
