Boys’soccer: South East gets its biggest regular-season victory

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Hail Cesar.

After delivering the tying goal against Eastern League rival Bell in the first half Thursday, South East junior sweeper Cesar Gonzalez delivered a perfect crossing pass to teammate Daniel Escalante in the opening moments of the second half.

Escalante, a senior striker, then booted his eighth goal of the season and kicked the visiting Jaguars past the Eagles, 2-1.

Last year, South East also beat Bell on the Eagles’ home field but finished third in league. The Jaguars (11-4-2, 7-1-1), who are playing only their second season of boys’ soccer, now find themselves on top of the Eastern League with three games to play.

‘When they got their goal [by Carlos Velasquez], we kept our heads up,’ Gonzalez said. ‘We didn’t think that early goal was going to kill us throughout the whole game. And when we scored, it got everybody back into the game. From then on, it was all teamwork.’

To wrestle the league title away from Bell and city rival South Gate would be a stunning achievement for South East. And the Jaguars know it.

‘If we can win league it would be a great feeling,’ Gonzalez said. ‘The best feeling of my life, I’m guessing.’

-- Mike Terry