St. Francis soccer sees valiant playoff run come to a close

A couple of weeks before the CIF Southern Section postseason began, the St. Francis High soccer team found itself in several must-win Mission League matches.

With a Division I playoff spot on the line, the Golden Knights rallied for second-half victories and gained momentum in their last two league games.

The momentum didn’t wane in the first round of the playoffs, sending St. Francis into a second-round contest against talented Warren on Wednesday.

1/11

St. Francis’ Liam Snashall gets the pass away just as Warren’s Sergio Santana reaches him with a slide tackle in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

2/11

St. Francis’ Clayton Green charges to the goal for a header to score against Warren’s Richard Garcia in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

3/11

St. Francis’ Alex Berberian tries to reach is foot around Warren’s Christopher Sevilla for the ball in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

4/11

St. Francis’ Clayton Green and James DeRose battle with Warren’s Chris Sanchez for a header in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

5/11

St. Francis’ Riley Baz battles for the header against Warren’s Julian Rojas in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

6/11

St. Francis’ Ian Odermatt heads the ball over Warren’s William Hernandez in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

7/11

St. Francis’ Riley Baz stretches out to get a foot on the ball against Warren’s Richard Garcia in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

8/11

St. Francis’ Michael Guzman heads the ball over against Warren’s William Hernandez in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

9/11

St. Francis’ Clayton Green is congratulated for scoring by teammate Alex Berberian in the first half against Warren in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

10/11

St. Francis’ Clayton Green traps the ball to turn it away from his goal against Warren’s Carlos Maldonado in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

11/11

St. Francis’ goalie Mark Garcia gets into the mix of action to keep the ball out of the net with pressure from Warren’s Sergio Flores in CIF Southern Section Division 1 second round boys’ soccer game at St. Francis High School on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. St. Francis lost the game 4-1.  (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

For most of Wednesday’s match, St. Francis held it own before falling, 4-1, to visiting Warren at Friedman Field.

“We did a lot to get here by virtue of beating Chaminade and Alemany to make the playoffs,” St. Francis Coach Glen Appels said. “We lose any of those games and we aren’t in. The team we had these last couple of weeks was the team we thought we’d have at the beginning of the season.

“It turned out to be a great season and we went up against a very good team over there in Warren. We showed we could play with them.”

St. Francis (8-10-5) opened the playoffs Friday with a 2-1 road win against Edison.

The Golden Knights, who finished third in league, took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Clayton Green off an indirect kick from Liam Snashall in the seventh minute.

St. Francis had a couple of good scoring chances to extend the lead, but couldn’t convert.

“That turned out to be one of the key things in the game,” said Appels, a former All-Area Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year. “Had we been able to get a goal or two on those chances, maybe it’s a different story.”

Warren, which finished second in the San Gabriel Valley League and will meet Peninsula in a quarterfinal match Friday, tied it at 1. Brandon Melendez dashed up the right side and rolled a shot off the left goal post and over the line in the 29th minute. Chris Sanchez gave Warren a 2-1 lead with about two minutes remaining in the first half.

Warren (17-5-4) received second-half goals from Sergio Santana and Julian Rojas in the 71st and 78th minutes, respectively.

“I thought we had a good shot to come back in the second half,” said St. Francis goalkeeper Mark Garcia, who finished with 13 saves. “In the last 10-15 minutes, we had to move up more and start taking some chances and then they got those two goals.

“We were a scrappy team tonight and these last couple of weeks.”

Warren co-Coach Karlo Soto said the Bears, who registered a 3-1 first-round win against Moorpark, needed to stay patient after yielding the first goal.

“We knew St. Francis would come out flying, especially in the first 10-15 minutes of the game, and they got the goal,” Soto said. “We had to stick to our plan and go with our speed.

“That played a big part in a couple of goals and it’s always something that’s good to have. St. Francis had a disciplined team.”

St. Francis played without junior midfielder Christian Ibarra, who suffered an ankle injury during practice Monday.