Boys’ Soccer: Laguna Beach edges Estancia
LAGUNA BEACH — With eight minutes to play, Estancia High Coach Robert Castellano saw it coming. He predicted an offside offense on his team well before the assistant referee signaled for one during a crucial Orange Coast League boys’ soccer match at Laguna Beach on Wednesday.
“He’s going to call offside!” Castellano warned his Eagles, who were trying to even the score on a free kick outside the box. “He’s going to call offside!”
Castellano was right, and he shook his head after the assistant referee raised his flag. The dreaded offside nullified a game-tying goal by Ricardo Gutierrez. Kevin Pizarro impaired goalkeeper Dante Amodeo’s vision by standing right in front of Amodeo.
That was the only way the Eagles could get the ball past Amodeo, by obstructing him. They dominated most of the match, challenging Amodeo all evening, but none of the Eagles’ 21 shots found the back of the net.
Estancia outshot Laguna Beach by a three-to-one margin, but the Breakers only needed one shot to beat Estancia. In the opening minute, the Breakers got it when Bruce Knill flicked the ball in with his head, and the goal stood up for a 1-0 win.
Amodeo, who made 17 saves, held his sixth opponent in league scoreless. Only Godinez, the defending league champion, has been able to score on Amodeo.
The result kept the Breakers (8-6-3, 4-1-2 in league) in second place in league, five points back of Godinez (13-1-1, 6-0-1). Estancia (12-4-3, 3-2-2) dropped from second to fourth.
Three contests remain in league, and the Eagles, a CIF Southern Section Division 5 semifinalist last season, have some work to do it they plan to earn one of the league’s three guaranteed playoff berths. Estancia faces rival Costa Mesa (1-6-0 in league) at Jim Scott Stadium on Friday at 5 p.m.
“We just got to get in the playoffs and we’ll be OK,” said Castellano, whose team has placed third in each of the past two seasons. “I have a lot of confidence in our team.”
The Eagles appeared poised going into their contest at Laguna Beach. Pizarro returned after missing one match with an ankle injury. With the junior striker in the lineup, Estancia is a different team.
Nevertheless, Pizarro and the Eagles had to play from behind right from the start. Castellano said his defense fell asleep in the opening minute, when Zach Jacobs, from near midfield, found Knill inside the box, where he beat keeper Jaime Pedraza.
For the next 39 minutes, Estancia began attacking the Breakers from everywhere. The chances to score were there for the Eagles. Luis Millan created the first, on a cross to Brandon Mendez, but Mendez’s one-timer sailed over the crossbar in the sixth minute.
Four minutes later, Amodeo punched out Pizarro’s free kick from about 30 yards out. Then on the match’s first corner, coming midway through the first half, Memo Sosa, on the doorstep, was unable to tap the ball past Amodeo.
Gutierrez, Chris Moya and Pizarro gave it a shot, only to see Amodeo turn them away. Pizarro and Gutierrez continued to go on the offensive in the second half, and they almost teamed up for the Eagles’ first goal in the 67th minute.
Pizarro took a free kick from the right, just outside the back, and Gutierrez got his head on it, only to see it go off the crossbar. Five minutes later, the two were involved in another free kick, but this one wouldn’t count. Pizarro was ruled offside when Gutierrez scored.
“That was my fault,” Castellano said. “I was trying to get [Pizarro] out of there and I didn’t. I didn’t do a good enough job. Kevin just kind of tried to trick the ref, like ‘Hey, I didn’t move. I just stood here, so I can get in the goalie’s way.’”