Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer unable to start another CIF run

LA CAÑADA — Upsets can happen in the CIF playoffs, just ask the Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer team.

Last season, the Rebels earned an at-large berth into the playoffs and defeated Monrovia, the No. 2 seed, in the first round on their way to the semifinals.

On Monday, the Rebels were on the wrong side of a first-round upset victory, as they were defeated 1-0 by Azusa at La Cañada High School.

Flintridge Prep (10-2-1), the Prep League champion, and an Aztecs team that won five of 10 Montview League matches, met three days after Friday’s scheduled match was postponed due to heavy rain and strong winds. The Rebels, ranked No. 6 in the final division poll, hadn’t played since Feb. 8, while Azusa (11-8-3) defeated Hawthorne Math and Science Academy on Tuesday in a wild-card match.

“I can’t even remember the last time we played,” Rebels Coach A.J. Yates said. “These guys [Azusa] played last Wednesday and we played eight days prior. No excuses though.”

Fifty-four seconds into the second half, a blown assignment on defense left Azusa’s German Vega alone with Flintridge Prep goalkeeper Aidan Schrader off a throw-in deep in Rebels territory. Vega put Azusa on the scoreboard with a clean shot to Schrader’s left.

“We play three in the back with a fourth guy on the wing as protection,” Yates said. “We played 13 guys total and they’re running back and forth all game. He was late covering.”

“At the end of the first half, I told them to put pressure on and score as early as they can,” Azusa Coach Robert Jimenez said. “I thought they’d be tired.”

If fatigue was a factor in giving up the early second-half goal, the postponement seemed to hinder the Rebels overall, as they didn’t look sharp on offense.

“We couldn’t get shots,” said Yates, whose squad mustered 12 shots on goal. “We didn’t capitalize on set pieces. Because of that, you lose 1-0.

“We couldn’t play in the midfield how we normally do and missed out on opportunities. It’s soccer; somebody has to lose.”

With basically an entire half to respond to the goal after a first half in which both teams were feeling each other out and not threatening consistently, the Rebels turned up the energy in a physical, chippy 40-minute frame.

Opportunities were scarce, though. A string of three-touch passes in the 64th minute threatened, but Rebel Buddy Palmer wasn’t able to connect with Garrett Gaines in stride for a clean look.

Perhaps the best opportunity of the day came three minutes later when Ramzi Beshir put a good foot on the ball, only to see it sail just over the top post.

Schrader helped keep it at a one-goal deficit on the other end, but it was not to be as the Rebels season ended earlier than expected.

“Our expectations were to not go out in the first round,” Yates said. “We returned 10 starters and went to the semifinals last year, so our goals were set high. But we have 10 starters coming back next year.

“Winning league was our first goal, but we have bigger goals.”