All-County Boys’ Soccer : He Leads by Being All Alone : Speed, Attitude Form Golden Combination to Spark Foothill

It’s not Keith Golden’s blazing speed, his ability to score and pass with both feet or his agility in the air that impresses Robin Winstone, Foothill High School soccer coach.

Winstone, a former amateur player from England, is equally impressed with the attitude of his senior center forward, who scored 21 goals and had 17 assists for the Knights and was named The Times’ Player of the Year.

“He’s a little bit of a loner, and good strikers are loners,” said Winstone, in his second year as coach. “He’s also willing to gamble like good strikers are.”

Golden, a two-year starter who helped Foothill to the Century League championship this past season and the Southern Section 4-A title last season, says he’s more gambler than loner.

“Sometimes I’ll go for goals instead of passing off,” said Golden, a 6-foot, 165-pounder. “I’ll go for a tackle, even though I might come out hurt. I don’t play recklessly, but I’ll go for a shot when another person might want to pass it off.”

As for being a loner, Golden believes Winstone may have the wrong perception of him.

“I’m not really a loner,” said Golden. “Maybe (Robin) thinks that because I always come to practice alone while the other guys car pool. But I don’t really know all the guys on the team real well. There are only five seniors, and I don’t socialize that much with the younger guys.

“Robin only sees me at practice, and sometimes I’ll have my shoes on before everyone else and will be kicking a ball around while the other guys are putting their boots on and talking.”

On the field, Golden’s aggressive style complements his speed, which separates him from most soccer players.

He was the Century League champion in the 220-yard dash last year with a time of 21.9 seconds, and he finished second in the 100-yard dash at 10.1. Golden chose not to compete in track this spring because he said he was tired of competing, but his speed was well-employed on the soccer field during the winter.

“No one ever caught him from behind,” Winstone said.

Golden usually beats opponents to the ball. If he’s fighting a defender for possession, he’ll poke the ball a few yards ahead and go after it. His speed led to several breakaway goals, too.

After becoming the first Orange County team to win the 4-A soccer championship since the sport was sanctioned by the Southern Section in 1964, Foothill went 19-2-4 last season before being eliminated in the second round by Thousand Oaks, 2-1, in overtime.

Golden scored both goals in the Knights’ 2-0 win over Irvine in December’s Irvine tournament championship game, and he was named the eight-team tournament’s most valuable player.

Later that month, Foothill won the 32-team Marina tournament, and Golden was named MVP of the championship game after scoring two goals to give the Knights a 2-1, come-from-behind win over Fountain Valley.

Golden, who has a 2.75 grade point average, is being recruited by Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Chapman College. He isn’t leaning toward one school yet, but he said he will definitely play soccer in college.

First Team

Name School Class Pos. Tim Bontrager Edison Sr. G Jose Duarte San Clemente Sr. F Keith Golden Foothill Sr. F Sergio Silva Sunny Hills Sr. F Jeff Gordon Brea-Olinda Sr. MF Steve Mullin Fountain Valley Sr. MF Ed Quigley Esperanza Sr. MF Carrick Brewster Foothill Sr. D Al Contrera University Sr. D Mike Knaus Brea-Olinda Sr. D Drew Kram Corona del Mar Sr. D

Second Team

Goalie: George Katsivalis (Foothill) Sr. Forwards: Brent Bish (Esperanza) Jr.; Marcos Meza (Saddleback) Sr.; Jose Vasquez (Santa Ana) Jr. Midfielders: John Castro (Edison) Sr.; Pat Merrill (Corona del Mar) Jr.; Todd Norris (Capistrano Valley) Sr. Defenders: Curt Bjelajac (Ocean View) Sr.; Robert Hassis (Valencia) Sr.; Tom Patton (Edison) Jr.; Neil Payne (Newport Harbor) Sr.

The teams were selected with the help of coaches’ interviews as well as all-county ballots, which were sent to every Orange County boys’ and girls’ coach.