La Cañada High boys’ soccer plays well, but loses to No. 1 seed in regional
LOS ANGELES — It was a historical appearance when the La Cañada High boys’ soccer team took the field Tuesday for its CIF Division II Southern California Regional Championship quarterfinal.
Although the Spartans’ program has produced some successful teams and talented players over the years, many of those squads played prior to a state playoff system being initiated, thus not getting to go against the elite competition the tournament provides.
Unfortunately for La Cañada, its foray into the state tournament brought with it a daunting opponent in No. 1 seeded Cathedral, a squad ranked second in California and seventh in the nation by maxpreps.com. In addition, the Phantoms were fresh off of winning a CIF Southern Section Division III title — giving up just two goals in the playoffs — and boasted a goalkeeper with 19 shutouts on the year.
PHOTOS: LCHS vs. Cathedral boys’ soccer
The Spartans did anything but wilt under that pressure. La Cañada gave Cathedral all it could handle for most of the match, keyed by a spectacular performance in goal by Michael Selsor. But in the end, the Phantoms were able to tally goals in both halves, putting an end to the Spartans’ memorable season with a 2-0 home victory.
“This is the first time La Cañada has ever gone to state and I think going against a tough team like we did, we really represented well,” said Selsor, a junior who made 17 saves, some from point-blank range. “I think we can be proud of what we did today and really what we were able to do the entire season.”
La Cañada (13-8-6), the No. 8 seed, was able to enjoy a fine postseason run despite placing third in the Rio Hondo League and fighting to claim an automatic playoff spot. The team did well in the Division VI playoffs, advancing to the semifinals before losing to Monrovia in penalty kicks.
“I can’t even explain how proud I am of this team and what they were able to accomplish,” said Spartans Coach Alex Harrison, fighting back tears. “It is just sad to see these guys go away. Getting to this match is just the result of a good year and the hard work and desire these guys put it.
“The season has to always end at some point, but we can walk away knowing that we left everything out there on that field.”
Cathedral (24-2-4), which has won 14 straight games and had four shutouts in five Southern Section postseason games, had a tough time getting its offense going against the Spartans. Throughout the first 10 minutes of the contest, the Phantoms had just one legitimate scoring chance, coming in the fourth minute when Jose Cano missed wide left on a shot from 20 yards out.
La Cañada had a fine chance in the 12th minute on a header in deep, but Cathedral goalkeeper Kris Guerra made the save. Another opportunity came in the 15th minute when JP Schaedel nearly put the Spartans in front. The senior took a shot and Guerra came up to make a sprawling block. However, the ball banked out and right back to Schaedel, who fired a blast that hit the far post and banked away.
“I thought we kept up with them every step of the way and I don’t think they expected that from us,” Harrison said. “We knew how good they were, I just don’t think they knew how good we were.
“Our defense really played well and Michael made some great saves that kept us in the game.”
Cathedral had its chances through the first 20-plus minutes, as well, but couldn’t put a goal in. That changed in the 25th minute. Cano got the ball deep on the left side and had a Spartans defender draped all over him. As both players fell to the ground, Cano was able to flick the ball toward the goal and it rolled in.
La Cañada also had its scoring chances in the second half. In the 54th minute, senior Nicholas Pereira made a nice pass to junior Lawrence Ku. From the left side, Ku jumped and directed a shot on frame, but Guerra was able to come up with the save. A minute later, Ku had another shot in deep, but it hit off the side of the net.
Cathedral made it 2-0 with a goal in the 73rd minute by Elmer Guerra. Cano also missed a goal on a breakaway in extra time.
“I don’t know what our final pass count was but it was over 300 with five minutes left in the game,” Harrison said. “We moved the ball well and we had our opportunities. That’s pretty good for a team when you’re playing Cathedral.”