Southern Section Soccer Finals : Esperanza Edges Burbank on Late Goal for 3-A Title

Brent Bish’s goal with five minutes left enabled Esperanza High School of Anaheim to beat Burbank, 1-0, Saturday night in the Southern Section 3-A boys’ soccer final at Gahr High.

It was Esperanza’s 22nd shutout of the season. The (23-0-2) Aztecs did not allow a goal in their five playoff matches. Burbank finished 24-2.

Other Southern Section finals:

Brea-Olinda 2, Central 2--Brea (17-5-2) came from two goals down to get a tie with Central of El Centro after 20 minutes of overtime in the 2-A boys’ soccer championship at Gahr High School. Mike Oziminski of Brea hit the goal post with a shot that just missed being a game-winner in the final two minutes of regulation. Carlos Dorantes and Jose Ramirez scored in the opening minutes of the second half to give Central (20-2-1) a 2-0 lead, and Brea tied it on goals by Robert Schueppert and Jeff Gordon.

Alta Loma 1, Simi Valley 0--Alta Loma of Cucamonga (19-5-4) used a goal by junior midfielder Tim Sowers 40 seconds into the second half and the goalkeeping of junior Michael Collins to the 4-A title win over previously unbeaten Simi Valley (25-1-4) in the late game Friday night. Collins, who thrilled the crowd several times by leaving his goalie box unattended to make a save, was sensational in the final 10 minutes, blocking three potential breakaway goals.

Agoura 3, Calabasas 1--Top-seeded Agoura, sparked by a game-tying goal from senior midfielder Kevin Jauch with two seconds left in the first half, won the 1-A title Saturday. Scores by Grant Landy and Rob Sham provided the final margin. After being outplayed by Calabasas in the first half, Agoura outshot the Coyotes, 16-3, in the final 40 minutes. The game was played in a rainstorm with winds up to 30 miles an hour.

In girls matches:

Agoura 2, Oak Park 1--The Agoura girls went overtime to win the 2-A title and make it a double celebration for the Chargers. Agoura (21-0-2) outshot crosstown rival Oak Park, 13-4, in a scoreless first period. A breakaway goal by sophomore midfielder Dawn Krenik 47 seconds into the second half staked Agoura to a 1-0 lead. Oak Park (13-6) sent the game into overtime when junior forward Stacy Wise scored in the final seconds of regulation. Agoura’s Tracy Redman hit the game-winning goal at the 88:25 mark.

Bishop Montgomery 1, Arcadia 0--A goal by Tara Petroni at the 5:23 stood up and Bishop Montgomery (19-6-1) in upset Arcadia (20-2-3) in the 3A final.