Boys Soccer Playoffs : Fountain Valley Holds On for 1-0 Win

Junior striker Steve Mullen’s shot deflected off a Villa Park defender and into the goal midway through the first half, giving Fountain Valley High School a 1-0 victory over Villa Park in the first round of the Southern Section 4-A boys’ soccer playoffs Thursday at Fountain Valley.

Fountain Valley (11-6-2) will meet Palos Verdes, a 9-2 winner over Lynwood, in the second round.

In other 4-A action:

Foothill 4, Bishop Montgomery 1--Kevin Kaufman and Aaron Lubell scored second-half goals to break open a close game and give host Foothill the upset over sixth-ranked Bishop Montgomery. Foothill had a 2-1 lead at halftime on goals by Mike Phillips and Keith Golden. Foothill is 16-2-3.

Ocean View 2, Cerritos 1--The Seahawks advanced to the second with the penalty-kicks win at Cerritos.

Mater Dei 2, Hawthorne 1--The Monarchs, the No. 1 representative from the Angelus League, went to penalty kicks before defeating Hawthorne at Mater Dei.

In 2-A action:

Corona del Mar 1, Edgewood 0--Pat Merrell scored late in the first half and the Sea Kings held on at Edgewood to hand the second-seeded Trojans their first loss of the season. Goalies Matt Dalton and Steve Muzzy combined for 12 saves for Corona del Mar (11-6-3).

Estancia 2, Rosemead 1--Midfielder Jorge Cruz scored twice, including one goal in overtime to advance the Eagles to the second round. Cruz, the Sea View League’s Most Valuable Player this season, scored four minutes into overtime after he had tied the score earlier in the second half. Estancia (16-2-4) will face Rancho Alamitos Tuesday.

Rancho Alamitos 2, Valencia 0--Senior goalie Eric Smith recorded eight saves en route to his seventh shutout as the Vaqueros advanced with the win at Rancho Alamitos. Senior left wing George McCabe scored both goals for the Vaqueros (13-5-2), including a header on an assist from Brian Oden late in the second half to put the game out of reach.

La Quinta 3, Temple City 0--Senior striker Rudy Canales, the placekicker on the Aztecs’ football team, scored all three goals to lead La Quinta (15-3-2) on its home field.

Anaheim 4, St Bernard 2--The Colonists scored three times during a five-minute stretch in the second half to gain the win. Anaheim (15-6) got goals from Curiel Garcia, Jeff Wilson, Jose Aldez and Jorge Vasquez.