SAN DIEGO SECTION SOCCER FINALS : This Time, the Break Goes Martin and La Jolla’s Way

No one had to jog Lucas Martin’s memory.

The All-American from La Jolla High School boys’ soccer team wouldn’t forget the sudden-death quarterfinal loss to the Ramona boys’ soccer team two years ago, nor the broken left ankle he suffered in that game when he was tackled by a Ramona player.

It forced him to sit out for three months.

Ramona remembers Martin. He made sure of that Saturday night with three goals that led La Jolla to a 5-2 victory in the San Diego Section 2-A championship game at San Diego High School.

“Then they took a hunk out of me after I scored my first goal,” Martin said. “The best way to pay them back was to score goals.”

The way Martin scored his goals showed why he was selected an All-American by Parade magazine. After just missing a shot, La Jolla set up a wall near the goal. Chris Bear took the corner kick and centered the ball near the goal line. Bulldogs’ goalie Oscar Bravo got a hand on the ball, but Martin took control and chipped it past Bravo to give La Jolla a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game.

Ramona tied it in the 28th minute when Juan Martinez drilled a corner kick from six yards out.

Three minutes later, Ramona went ahead, 2-1. La Jolla defender Michael Hughes was left with a three-on-one situation. Freshman Derek Drago passed to Lance Brown, who got by Hughes and beat goalie Matt Donaldson by drilling his eight-yard shot into the upper-right corner.

Then it was Martin’s turn again.

Ramona was called for a tripping penalty in the 36th minute of the first half. Martin took the direct kick from outside the box on the left side and kicked it into the lower left corner. He showed his emotion by gesturing to the crowd as he ran by the Ramona stands.

Martin completed the hat trick 1 1/2 minutes into the second half. Eric Ople found Martin alone 15 yards from the goal. This time, Martin’s shot sailed into the upper right-hand corner.

“That was my best game of the season,” Martin said.

La Jolla again scored on Roger Pettigrew’s shot that went off both Bravo and Winther and into the lower left corner in the 15th minute of the second half.

Ted Jankowsky scored the final goal when he took a throw-in from Victor Zendajas and pushed the ball into the right corner in the 21st minute.