Harvard Distinguishes Itself in Title Match, 2-0

After two regular-season meetings and half a championship match, there was little to separate the Harvard and La Salle high school soccer teams.

The San Fernando Valley League teams had tied twice during the regular season, but La Salle won the league title based on a better league record. And after the first 40 minutes of Friday’s Southern Section Small Schools Division title match, the teams were still tied, 0-0.

But Harvard, which had never advanced past the quarterfinals, quickly put an end to that, scoring twice in the second half to upset the second-ranked Lancers, 2-0, at Gahr High in Cerritos.

“La Salle won the league championship but I would have traded 10 league championships for this,” second-year Coach Barclay MacKinnon said after Harvard players soaked his tan, three-piece suit with Gatorade. “It wasn’t like we snuck in (to the final). We had to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to get here.”

Striker Charlie Woo, who has only six goals this season, scored both goals for Harvard (20-3-4) Friday. In fact, four of Woo’s goals this season were scored against the Lancers.

“He’s got La Salle’s number,” MacKinnon said.

Sophomore David Moran, who scored the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over top-ranked L. A. Baptist on Tuesday in the semifinals, helped get the scoring started Friday.

Moran fired a shot that deflected off La Salle goalkeeper Andre Vener back to Woo, and the Saracen junior then pumped the ball into the middle of the net from five yards for a 1-0 lead at the 14-minute mark of the second half.

With eight minutes remaining, Harvard iced the match when Woo scored on an assist from forward Andrew Weiss.

La Salle (15-5-3) received a red card and seven yellow cards, all in the second half.

La Salle stopper Matt Pindroh received a red card with 15 minutes to play, leaving the Lancers down a player for the remainder of the match.

La Salle midfielder Marino Napuri was the only Lancer to put the ball in the net, scoring just after Woo’s second goal. But the shot was negated by an offside call.

First-year Coach Cherif Zein claimed that Harvard players were offside on both scoring plays but declined to comment further.

Harvard, ranked third in the Small Schools poll, outshot the Lancers, 11-8, and goalkeeper Rob Faucett notched his 14th shutout.

Vener, a first-year goalkeeper, made five saves for La Salle.