Boys’ Soccer Preview: Plenty of talent, motivation for La Cañada
After falling just short of advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship match last season, the La Cañada High boys’ soccer team has plenty of motivation to take the next step.
La Cañada fell to Rio Hondo League rival and eventual champion Monrovia, 1-1 (4-2 on penalty kicks), leaving it with a bitter taste during the last eight months. Now, the Spartans will begin the process of trying to achieve their goals of winning a league and CIF championship.
“We haven’t forgotten about what happened last year,” said Spartans Coach Alex Harrison, whose team is ranked second in the division behind Monrovia. “Even though we’ll have a brand new team, there’s fuel that’s been added to the fire and we want to take those next steps.
“We’ll have to create our own breaks and we have guys who are prepared to help us get to where we want to be.”
La Cañada, Monrovia and South Pasadena — all members of the Rio Hondo League — advanced to the semifinals. Monrovia topped South Pasadena, 1-0, in the championship match.
Harrison said the league should be formidable again.
“A lot of the teams in our league will be competitive,” said Harrison, the reigning All-Area Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year. “Don’t discount Blair, who will be a very dangerous team.
“We will be good technically and tactically. Expectations will be that much higher for our team.”
The Spartans will return a good portion of their core, including senior forward Lawrence Ku, senior goalkeeper Mike Selsor, junior defender Jack Meeker and junior centerback Sam Adida.
Flintridge Prep finished second in the Prep League behind Firebaugh and reached the second round of the Division VI playoffs under coach AJ Yates last season. Flintridge Prep suffered a 5-2 home loss against Moreno Valley.
The Rebels plan to field 18 players, providing depth in front of senior goalkeeper Hamilton Evans. Flintridge Prep will also have junior midfielder Aidon Boyle and sophomore midfielders Tim Treinon and Andrew Lathrop in the fold to provide some offensive pop.
“Expectations are going to be high again,” Yates said. “We’ve got a lot of new players and we hope to get all of our players on the field.
“There’s a lot of excitement right now. We’ve got a top goalie in Hamilton Evans. We also know league will be tough again Every match will be super important against Firebaugh, Pasadena Poly and Chadwick.”
St. Francis returned to the Division I playoffs last season after missing the postseason in 2014. The Golden Knights lost to Corona, 1-0, on the road in the first round after placing fourth in the ultra-competitive Mission League.
St. Francis will be a relatively young team with just five seniors. Goalkeeper Mark Garcia, forward Alex Berberian, midfielder Clayton Green, forward/midfielder Neil Markey and midfielder Daniel Sultan will be counted on to provide leadership.
“We don’t have a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of players who have experience,” St. Francis Coach Glen Appels said. “Since they have experience, we know they can all contribute.
“We’ll look to be a little stronger and consistent. We know that Mission League will be tough again, so we can’t afford to take any days off.”