Five boys’ soccer teams fall in CIF first round, Golden Valley lone team to advance
After securing the game-tying goal late in the second half to force the match into extra time, the Centurions had their hearts broken Wednesday as the Pacifica Tritons scored the game-winner to eliminate Saugus in the first round of the Division 4 playoffs.
For Saugus head coach Seth Groller, although the game ended in heartbreak, he’s still proud of his team for the performance they displayed on the pitch as they battled until the very end.
“I’m proud of my guys, especially my seniors and the work that they put in and how they were able to dig deep and battle back,” he said. “It speaks to who they are as a team and especially that group of seniors that have been so important to this program.”
One of the seniors Groller is proud of the most is his four-year varsity goalkeeper, Ethan Murillo.
After the match, Groller added that Murrillo played one of his best games and that despite the result, he turned in a good performance.
“He’s a special player, and he’s kept us in so many games throughout this whole season,” he said. “His ability to not only be the start of the attack for our offense but obviously doing what he does best, saving us between the posts, time and time again. It really is going to be a huge loss with him being a senior as he’s been a starter for us for all four years.”
Despite the two allowed goals, Murrillo was making timely saves all game, especially in the first half when the senior made a diving catch to prevent a would-be goal from a Pacifica attacker.
Despite the many saves by Murrillo throughout the game, the Centurions’ defense was constantly having to play near their own goal post as the Pacifica offense kept the pressure up the entirety of the game.
The Tritons struck first in the first half in the 23rd minute off a volley kick and looked poised to win the match 1-0 in regulation.
That’s until junior forward Daniel Nilson scored the game-tying goal in the eighth minute of the second half to force it onto extra time. And a few minutes into extra time, the Tritons’ Luis Avalos bagged the game-winner and ended the game, 2-1.
Groller knew going into the match that it was going to be a thriller but it’s always a tough result to accept in the moment.
But if there’s one thing he knows for certain about this year’s team, is that he’s proud of the effort that they’ve shown not just in the playoffs but throughout the year.
“I’m proud of how we played all season. We were right there in every single game including this one,” he said. “So, just looking back on the season, I’m just proud, that’s really all I can say when I think about.”
After Wednesday’s games, here are scores from the first round of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs:
Golden Valley 3, Palmdale Aerospace Academy 2: The Grizzlies, who earned an at-large bid into the Division 5 playoffs, were the lone Santa Clarita Valley team to advance to the secondround after a road win over Palmdale Aerospace Academy.
The Grizzlies are set to be on the road again on Friday as they match up against the San Marcos Royals of Santa Barbara.
The match between the Grizzlies and Royals is set to kick off at 5 p.m. at San Marcos High School.
Final in PK’s: Arroyo 5, Valencia 4: With regulation ending in a 0-0 draw, the match between the Vikings and Arroyo Knights of El Monte was decided in penalty kicks.
The Knights took the first-round win over Valencia as they won 5-4 and eliminated the Vikings from the Division 4 playoffs.
Final in PK’s: Linfield Christian 4, Hart 3: With regulation ending in a 1-1 draw, the Hawks and Linfield Christian Lions of Temecula dueled it out in penalties with the Lions outlasting Hart.
With the loss, the Hawks were eliminated from the Division 5 playoffs.
Final in PK’s: Tustin 4, West Ranch 3: The Tustin Tillers took the first-round win over West Ranch as they won, 4-3, in penalty kicks and eliminated the Wildcats from the Division 5 playoffs.
Ganesha 3, Trinity 0: The Trinity Knights were knocked out in the first round of the Division 7 playoffs after suffering a 3-0 loss to the Ganesha Giants of Pomona.
