Hardships continue for St. Francis soccer versus Loyola
St. Francis High soccer came up short against Loyola on Friday, 2-0, in Mission League play.
Not only did the St. Francis High soccer team have to take on formidable CIF Southern Section Division I 10th-ranked Loyola in Los Angeles, but the unranked Golden Knights were also fighting a pair of demons.
The circumstances and opponent proved too much to overcome as the Cubs scored two goals within a minute to defeat St. Francis, 2-0, in Mission League play Friday afternoon.
The loss was the 10th straight for the Golden Knights (6-3-4, 1-1-2 in league) versus Loyola (8-6-3, 2-1-1) as they are 0-11-1 dating back to 2010 when St. Francis last beat the Cubs. The last three setbacks have been shutouts.
As for the lack of offense, St. Francis has been blanked in three consecutive matches and five of its last six.
“We’ve had a bit of streak here where we’re just not finishing our chances,” St. Francis Coach Glen Appels said. “The good thing is we’re creating chances and I think the guys are working hard.
“There’s still a good spirit here, so I think it’s going to come for us. When we finally break the dam, we’re hoping it’s a big flood because it’s been a dry spell.”
The match’s complexion changed in the final five minutes of the first half.
That’s when the Cubs delivered a combination of body blows and took a 2-0 lead by the 37th minute thanks in part to the exploits of Loyola striker Jackson McDermott.
The sophomore took possession of a through ball and caught St. Francis out of position as goalie Michael Bazarevitsch rushed right to the edge of the 18-yard line, only to frantically reverse back toward his goal.
McDermott laced a shot off the hand of a leaping Bazarevitsch for a goal to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.
With barely any time to celebrate, the Cubs took advantage of a defensive miscue in St. Francis territory about 30 seconds later that led to a two-on-scenario with McDermott and teammate Luciano Gazcon.
McDermott crossed to Gazcon, who converted a 10-yard goal to put the home team ahead, 2-0, with three minutes left before the half.
“I thought we gave it a good effort today,” Loyola Coach Chris Walter said. “We’re working hard and that’s something we’ve been talking about – having the desire to win the 50-50 balls and all the little things that help build toward a win.”
The Cubs just missed adding on their 2-0 halftime lead when Gazcon was denied on a great kick save from Bazarevitsch in the 53rd minute.
St. Francis’ best chance to break its scoring rut may have happened in the 25th minute when a steal from Golden Knights junior Sebastyan Enriquez in Loyola’s attacking third resulted in a pass to Nicholas Maldonado and a cross into the left side of the penalty area to Colton Ramirez.
The St. Francis junior striker ripped a 12-yard shot that required a diving save from Cubs goalie Antonio Chavez Borrelli (seven saves) in the 25th minute.
In the second half, it may have been Ramirez again with the best opportunity as he crept inside the goal mouth in the 42nd minute, but had his six-yard chip corralled by Chavez Borrelli.
The score could have been worse if not for a pair of wonderful saves from Bazarevitsch, including in the 15th minute when a perfect long-distance pass from Loyola’s Lucas Perez caught Gazcon in stride.
Gazcon fired left from 15 yards, but Bazarevitsch dove and stopped the shot. Bazarevitsch finished with four saves.
“It gets a little frustrating not scoring, but we’re still trying to put away any chances we get,” Ramirez said. “We’d like to get a couple of those chances back, but it’s back to practice tomorrow and back to working on converting.”
