BOYS’ SOCCER ‘93-’94: SEASON PREVIEW : Corona del Mar’s Boyce Is Used to Being a Marked Man

NEWPORT BEACH —  Fearing someone might laugh, Jason Boyce was reluctant to divulge an analogy his grandfather often makes between Boyce’s soccer game and a certain legend’s hockey game.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but my grandfather says I play like (the Kings’ Wayne) Gretzky in a way--the way I set things up and see things before they happen,” Boyce said.

But the more Boyce, who has led Corona del Mar in scoring the last three seasons, thought about his grandfather’s comparison, the more he warmed up to it.

“I take it as a compliment,” said Boyce, a first-team Times All-County selection last year. “I love watching Gretzky. He’s pretty dangerous when he’s basket-hanging. I consider myself pretty dangerous around the goal, too.”

Corona del Mar Coach Ray Hales said Boyce’s opponents would agree with him.

“He reads the game so well,” Hales said. “The defense is so nervous with him around the goal. They know that one mistake could cost them the game. He’s one step ahead all the time.”

Boyce, who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and has long jumped 22-11 1/2, was one step ahead of the goalkeeper 29 times last season. On 14 other occasions, he fed teammates who were a step ahead of the goalkeeper.

Since his freshman season, Boyce says, he has been stepping to a different beat.

“I’ve kind of noticed then that I was a marked man,” Boyce said. “But I had confidence in myself even then.”

Hales said Boyce’s reputation as one of the county’s best players has created some ugly scenes.

“They’re constantly trying to mark him out of the game,” Hales said. “But they still can’t stop him. The football guys that come out for soccer are hitting him everywhere. I’ve actually seen guys dive at him from behind. I don’t think I’d have the patience to deal with all that.”

Boyce said he deals with it better than he used to.

“Does all that bug me?” he said. “No. It just opens up the field and gives my teammates more chances. I just one-touch it and it takes all those people out of the play. Or, I just run them till they drop and then pass the ball off.”

And occasionally, after he passes the ball, Boyce will retaliate ever so discreetly.

“I do a number of little things that people don’t always see,” Boyce said. “I’m always on my toes and sometimes I just happen to step on somebody else’s toes.”

Already this season, Boyce has had an altercation with a Servite player during a scrimmage.

“He had a guy running at him and Jason just turned his back and the guy came off the worse,” Hales said.

Boyce said the Servite player came out of the collision with a broken wrist.

While Boyce’s play has upset many opponents, it has pleased plenty of college coaches. He is being recruited by UCLA, Rutgers, Washington, San Diego and Fresno State. Boyce has taken an official trip to Rutgers, N.J..

Though he turned 18 less than two months ago, Boyce has already seen a lot of the world. As a member of the U.S. under-18 Select team, Boyce has traveled to France and England the past two summers.

Last week, he was in Orlando trying out for the under-20 U.S. Select team. Boyce was the only Southern California player to survive the first cut.

Hales said Boyce is good enough to make nearly any team, including a few in Europe.

“I think Jason can be a great professional,” Hales said. “I think he really needs to go to Europe. You’ve got professionals at his age now getting two or three thousand a week. I think he could make a team now.”

For now, Boyce simply wants to finish high school and lead his team, ranked seventh in the preseason Orange County coaches’ poll, to a Southern Section title. The Sea Kings have reached the Division IV quarterfinals the past two seasons.

Boyce isn’t as certain about his future. He still hasn’t decided if he wants to pursue the 1996 Olympic team, a college education, or a contract with a European professional team.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Boyce said. “I would think I would do worse if I got paid to play. The pressure would be intense. I love the sport so much, I don’t know if I’d want to play it for money.”

At times, Hales said Boyce looks better than some players who are already making money.

“His speed is second to none,” Hales said. “There was a ball the other day that I thought was the goalkeeper’s all the way. But Jason put it into second gear and somehow put it past him. I still don’t believe he made up 20 yards that quickly.”

Boys’ Soccer

Top players: Todd Abdalla, Trabuco Hills, So., goalkeeper; Carlos Avalos, Costa Mesa, Sr., forward; Ryan Boyajian, Laguna Hills, Sr., halfback; Greg Cleave; Cypress, Jr., wing; Oscar Cisneros, Saddleback, Sr., defender; Chris Fernandez, Sonora, midfielder, Sr.; Jay Garcia, Century, Sr., striker; Julian Garcia, Fullerton, Sr., forward; Paulo Gonzalez, Santa Ana Valley, Sr., midfielder; Francisco Islas, Santa Ana Valley, Sr., forward; Luan Lai, Ocean View, Sr., halfback; Oscar Lara, Santa Ana Valley, Sr., sweeper; Pat Lee, Los Alamitos, Sr., midfielder; Andrew Mehr, Kennedy, Sr., defender; Jose Meza, Cypress, Sr., halfback; Scott Monson, Sunny Hills, Jr., midfielder; Andres Morgante, Dana Hills, Sr., forward; Steve Patterson, Foothill, Sr., midfielder; Kevin Quigley, Mater Dei, Sr., midfielder; Rafael Reynosa, Santa Ana Valley, Sr., defender; Eduardo Rodriguez, Orange, Jr., midfielder; Chris Roselli, Sunny Hills, Sr., midfielder; Mike Shumaker, Fullerton, Jr., goalkeeper; Jeff Szekeres, Villa Park, Sr., midfielder; Peter Van De Ven, Mater Dei, Sr., goalkeeper; Ignacio Vega, Century, Jr., striker.

League favorites: Century: Santa Ana Valley; Empire: Esperanza; Freeway: Sonora; Garden Grove: Kennedy; Olympic: Orange Lutheran; Orange: Brea-Olinda; Pacific Coast: Laguna Hills; Sea View: Santa Margarita; South Coast: Mater Dei; Sunset: Santa Ana.

1992 final poll: 1. Santa Margarita; 2. Santa Ana; 3. Corona del Mar; 4. Santa Ana Valley; 5. Ocean View; 6. Saddleback; 7. Marina; 8. San Clemente; 9. Anaheim; 10. Capistrano Valley.

1993 preseason poll: 1. Santa Ana; 2. Marina; 3. Santa Ana Valley; 4. El Dorado; 5. Saddleback; 6. Santa Margarita; 7. Corona del Mar; 8. Esperanza; 9. El Toro; 10. Los Alamitos.

Key dates: Irvine tournament, Dec. 4-11; Brea-Olinda tournament, Dec. 20-22; Marina tournament, Dec. 27-29; Southern Section playoffs, Feb. 18, 22, 24, March 1; Section finals, March 4-5.

Notes: Mater Dei toured England, Holland and Germany. Van De Ven and Quigley were invited back for tryouts with an English pro team. . . . Santa Ana Valley, which returns six all-league players, is ranked No. 1 in the Division II preseason poll. Reynosa made the Mexican reserve team this summer, but returned to Santa Ana Valley for his senior year.