Laguna Blanca faced a tough opponent in Pasadena Poly on Saturday and came out on the short end of a 3-1 decision in a non-league boys soccer match.
It was the Owls’ first loss of the season. They are ranked No. 1 in CIF Division 7 while Poly is No. 2 in Division 6.
Poly broke a scoreless game 30 seconds into the second half and scored in 72nd and 73rd minutes. Cooper Farrell scored for Laguna Blanca on a penalty kick in the 48th minute.
“They were a really good side,” Laguna Blanca coach Daniel Torres said of Poly. “It was good for the boys to play against good competition, especially at the midpoint of the season.”
The Owls challenged Poly’s defense in the first half.
“We had a good 20 minutes in the first half. We created some good chances,” said Torres.
Poly took advantage of Laguna’s slow start to the second half.
“We’re giving up too many goals in the first five minutes of the second half,” Torres pointed out. “I told the boys they have to maintain focus from the first whistle to the last.”
He said Poly’s later goals were a result of a loss in concentrate.
“A good team is going to take advantage of that. We learned a lot from today,” Torres said. “Overall, the boys did well. We can build off of this.”
He lauded the goalkeeping of Ben Rios. Rios’ normal position is right fullback.
“He played goalie for the first 20 minutes and did a phenomenal job. He made three saves that a guy who doesn’t play goalie on a regular basis shouldn’t be making,” Torres said.
The Owls are now 5-1-2 on the season.
