Boys’ Soccer: Eagles blanked by Godinez
Since opening Orange Coast League boys’ soccer action with a loss to Godinez High three weeks ago, Estancia ripped off five wins in a row. The success kept the Eagles in contention for a league title.
They began February with a date at home with the Grizzlies, the team the Eagles trailed in league. Estancia fell further behind on Wednesday.
Godinez, the top-ranked team in the state by TopDrawerSoccer.com, dominated the Eagles, 5-0, to stay undefeated.
Bryan Ibarra scored four goals and assisted on another for Godinez, which improved to 17-0 overall and 7-0 in league. The senior striker scored the team’s first three goals, and he showed his versatility against Estancia, which dropped to 5-2 in league.
Six minutes in, from the left side and outside of the corner of the box, Ibarra used his right foot to find the upper-right corner of the net. Just as he made his presence felt right away, Ibarra set the tone at the start of the second half.
Two minutes into the second half, Ibarra scored deep in the box, right after a corner kick. Two minutes later, he used his 6-foot-2 body well against a defender who bounced off him in the box, before Ibarra chipped in a shot to the right.
Ibarra’s best goal on the night might have come four minutes after he set up Jonathan Romero’s goal in the 76th minute. This time from the right side and outside of the box, Ibarra knocked in a beauty with his left foot to hand Estancia its most lopsided setback since losing to Saddleback, 6-1, on Dec. 7, 2007.
Seconds later, a fan sitting in Estancia’s stands yelled, “Mercy rule!” The Grizzlies, who won the CIF Southern Section Division 4 title last season, haven’t taken it easy on opponents, outscoring them, 58-8.
No one has been able to slow down the Grizzlies, ranked No. 3 in the country by USA Today, and that’s been the case in their past 44 matches in league. They have gone 37-0-7 during the stretch.
The last team to beat Godinez in league was Estancia during the 2012-13 season. That same season, the Grizzlies’ run of finishing atop the league began.
With three contests left in league, the Grizzlies are on their way to claiming first for the fifth consecutive season under Coach Ruben Fernandez.
“I just think that we played our best game of the season,” said Fernandez, whose team is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 poll. “I thought the first half we dominated, we had a lot of chances, and we were a little bit unlucky just being up, 1-0. Once we got the quick second and third goals, the game opened up. With the kind of personnel that we have, the quality, especially offensively [with Ibarra, Roberto Arzate, Romero, Alexis Palacios and Carlos Moreno], once we get the lead, the other teams have to chase the game.
“I told the guys this was the first real test of the season, in terms that we’re playing for a league championship. I think the guys answered the call.”
As for the Eagles, they never really challenged goalkeeper Alex Peñaloza. He made a save, as Godinez recorded its ninth shutout.
“We kind of had our heads down. It looked like [my players] were shocked that they got scored on,” said Estancia Coach Robert Castellano, whose team plays at third-place Laguna Beach on Friday, while the Grizzlies travel to fourth-place Costa Mesa. “[Our] last game [with the Grizzlies] we did a good job of keeping [Ibarra] in front of us. He had one goal [and one assist in Godinez’s 2-1 win against us]. But he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, and he kind of just bullied us around in the back.”
Twitter: @ByDCP
