HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS : 2-A Boys : University City Overtime Error Hands La Jolla a 2-1 Victory

It wasn’t fulfilling in the end, but at least La Jolla High School never really beat Chris Haap, the freshman wonder goalie of University City High.

Instead, Haap and teammate Dave Beck beat themselves. La Jolla won, 2-1, in overtime Saturday night at Torrey Pines High for its seventh San Diego Section 2-A boys’ soccer title. La Jolla finished 19-3-2, University City 14-6-2.

The decisive goal came five minutes into overtime.

With La Jolla’s Chris Baer pressuring him about 30 yards to the left of the goal, Beck decided to pass the ball back to Haap.

Haap bent low in anticipation, but Baer passed high. The ball went over the leaping Haap and bounced once before crossing the goal-line.

“I wish we had won it on a worthy goal, but I’ll take it,” Trevor Kelly said.

If anyone deserved it, it was Kelly.

Four times in the second half, Kelly had seemingly put La Jolla ahead. But each time, Haap, Kelly’s teammate on a junior national team, stopped him.

“He is the best there is,” said Kelly, who admitted to believing that at least one of his shots would find net.

In the end, Haap had 15 saves, 11 more than his counterpart Dan Mendoza. Mendoza was tested quickly when eleven minutes into the match, Richard Scuderi flicked a grounder past him. Thereafter, it was all La Jolla and Haap.

After constant pressure, La Jolla broke through to tie when Adi Jacobs, who hadn’t scored all year, drilled in a 30-yarder.

“You can’t blame anyone (for the final goal),” said Jerzy Szyndlar, La Jolla’s coach. “When you look at the big picture, we deserved to win.”

Last year University City and Kelly, who moved to La Jolla this year, beat La Jolla for the title. “All along the way, I thought we’d do it,” Kelly said.