PREP SOCCER ROUNDUP : Shutout Puts Capistrano Valley in Second

Capistrano Valley overcame one more obstacle in its bid for a league championship, shutting out Mission Viejo, 3-0, in a South Coast League boys’ soccer match Friday at Mission Viejo High School.

Capistrano Valley (15-3-3, 3-1-2 in league) hasn’t had the best of luck lately, but Friday’s victory moves the Cougars, who are ranked fifth in Orange County and fourth in Southern Section 3-A, into second place in league. The Cougars trail league-leading El Toro (4-1-1). Mission Viejo (3-2-1), which was tied with El Toro for first, drops to third.

This season, Capistrano Valley lost two starting forwards to injury--one to a broken leg and the other to knee surgery. And to add to the Cougars’ woes, starting goalkeeper Chad Andrew, a third-team all-CIF player, quit the team Wednesday.

“The kids really wanted it today,” Capistrano Valley Coach Ron Willms said. “They kept talking before the game, saying they wanted it. And they got it.”

Midfielder Jason Faulk’s two goals helped Capistrano Valley avenge a 1-0 loss to Mission Viejo on Jan. 10. Teammate Jeff Rynders added the other goal.

The Cougars struck early in the match, which seemed to catch the Diablos off guard. Capistrano Valley took a 1-0 lead when Faulk slid a shot past Mission Viejo goalkeeper Phil Darke six minutes into the first half. The Cougars then scored five minutes into the second half on Rynders’ line drive from 20 yards out.

“This was a very big game,” Willms said. “At the beginning of the second half, we knew we had control of our destiny. With each game, we put them (El Toro and Mission Viejo) behind us.”