Poly Finds an Offense in 3-1 Soccer Victory Over Birmingham

Frank Sandoval wanted to shake up an offense that had been averaging less than a goal a game. So the Poly High boys’ soccer coach moved his best defensive player, junior Monir Beria, to center.

The adjustment paid off handsomely as Poly responded with its best offensive effort this season, handing previously undefeated Birmingham a 3-1 loss in a Valley Pac-8 Conference opener Wednesday at Poly.

Beria assisted on Poly’s first goal and was double-teamed by Birmingham, easing the defensive pressure on his teammates. His coach expected as much.

“He dominates his position and does everything right,” Sandoval said of Beria.

Edgar Rivera opened the scoring 15 minutes into the match, taking a 40-foot pass from Beria and launching a 10-foot kick to the left corner of the goal.

Poly (3-1) took a 2-0 lead early in the second half as forward Jose Consuegra scored from 5 feet on an assist from Rivera. Juan Nambo made it 3-0 15 minutes into the second half on a penalty kick.

Juan Carlos Ortiz broke the shutout with 9 minutes remaining on an assist from Mario Martinez.

Poly limited Birmingham to 2 shots on goal in the second half. “This was the best overall game we played all season,” said goalie Lewis Elliott, who registered 4 saves.

Birmingham (4-1), which had shut out 3 of its first 4 opponents, allowed a season high in goals. “It seemed like there were just too many guys open,” Birmingham goalie Andy Sherman said. “I don’t think there are too many goalies who can stop shots from two feet away.”