SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A SOCCER : Surprising Year Ends in Loss for Santa Margarita

Time, and the season, ran out on the Santa Margarita High School boys’ soccer team Tuesday. After five consecutive pressured-filled games, the Eagles had nothing left to give.

Beverly Hills outran and outmanned Santa Margarita from start to finish for a 1-0 victory to advance to the Southern Section 4-A final.

The loss ended a season of surprises for the Eagles, who stunned most everyone by winning the Angelus League. They had also won five consecutive games, four of which were on the road, including a victory over second-seeded Claremont Friday.

However, Santa Margarita appeared sluggish against Beverly Hills, which consistently beat them to loose balls.

“They got us playing their game early and we could never make the adjustment,” Santa Margarita Coach Mario Cuevas said. “We were off today.”

The Eagles were downright sloppy. They missed assignments, made bad passes and generally looked confused.

The Normans worked the wings, drawing the Eagle defense away from the center. The strategy led to the game’s only goal.

Shanan Solouki broke free down the right sideline and centered a pass to two Norman players, who were open in front of the net. The ball sailed over Mike Rappaport to David Saraf, who scored on a header.

“Their goalie looked confused, he didn’t know which of us was going to take the shot,” Saraf said. “I called Mike off and nailed it.”

It was the only mistake Eagle goalie Matt Reis made. In all, he made seven saves, three of which were diving stops from point-blank range.

However, the Eagle offense couldn’t make up the one goal. In fact, the offense was nonexistent until late in the game.

Santa Margarita had only four shots in the first half compared to nine by Beverly Hills.

“We weren’t ourselves today,” Cuevas said.

Still, with less than five minutes left, the Eagles found some life. They began to connect on their passes and it nearly paid off.

With three minutes left, Scott Carter picked up a ricochet 15 feet out and shot towards an open net. However, at the last moment, defenseman Chuck Forsch stuck his foot out and deflected the ball out of bounds.

“All was massive confusion and then the ball,” Forsch said. “It was pure instinct.”