Boys’ Soccer: Edison opens Sunset with win
Twice the Edison High boys’ soccer team came close to playing for a title in December. The Chargers lost in the semifinals of the Aliso Cup early in the month, and toward the end of it, they fell in the semis of the Mustang Cup.
Four days into the New Year, the Chargers returned to the field. They have begun the countdown to another crown.
“One down, nine to goal,” Edison’s players said as they walked off the field at Marina with a 3-1 win to open Sunset League play on Wednesday.
There are nine more league matches left for Edison, a favorite to finish atop the league. The Chargers showed why they are more than capable of winning their first league championship since the 2013-14 season.
In the first half against Marina, Edison produced nine legitimate scoring chances, finishing off the final two. Zac Ingalls scored in the 35th minute off a cross from Trevor Fried. A minute later, Chase Bullock put away a long throw-in by Brian Piscopo that got away from the goalkeeper deep in the box.
The Chargers, ranked No. 19 in the state by TopDrawerSoccer.com, improved to 11-2-1 overall. They have played a tough nonleague schedule, beating the likes of Katella, No. 35 in the state, and Santa Ana, No. 9 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, and tying Santiago, No. 15 in the state.
Edison’s setbacks have come against Valencia, ranked No. 2 in Division 2, and Orange Lutheran.
“We did well enough, but I think that we can be better,” Edison Coach Charlie Breneman said of the team’s play before league. “We’re still not there. We had moments today where we were playing the way we want to play, but we’re still not there. You can see it in the second half, when it was a little bit more disjointed.”
The Chargers cruised after Dominic Bair found the back of the net three minutes into the second half. They easily could have scored six or seven goals, but Marina (3-8-0, 0-1-0 in league) played better after it went down by three goals.
Geoffrey Delorie scored the Vikings’ lone goal in the 46th minute. Despite cutting the deficit to two, Marina never threatened again, thanks to Edison defenders Collier Maruska, Andrew Brummett and Jared Velazquez.
Other than the goal Mitchell Wilson gave up, the Edison keeper wasn’t too busy. He had five saves.
“It was a bit too late at that point,” Marina Coach Gabriel Lucatero said of mounting a comeback. “A couple of breakdowns on our part in the first half, you know, obviously cost us those two goals. My keeper should have had that ball [off the throw-in]. He got it in his hands, but he dropped it.”
Marina’s Gerry Delorie did his best to keep it close, making 10 saves. Almost half of those stops came against Bair, a senior striker.
“The speedster that they have [on top] makes a big difference,” Lucatero said of Bair. “He’s not only [fast], but he’s very technical on the ball. He’s a smart player.”
