Hambly Reaches Goal to Stop Foes From Attaining Theirs

As a little boy learning to play soccer in Simi Valley, Steve Hambly found inspiration from a Royal High goalkeeper named Karl Holt.

“He was my idol,” Hambly said. “I’d see him do things in goal and I’d say, ‘I wish I could do that.’ ”

Holt graduated from Royal three years ago after setting numerous records, including most shutouts in a season, and one of those records--for consecutive shutouts (11)--was seriously challenged by Hambly.

And Hambly is not so little any more. He has matured into a 6-foot-2, 165-pound senior and has been one of the keys to Royal’s domination of the Marmonte League, long one of the Southern Section’s best in soccer.

Hambly had nine consecutive shutouts before allowing a goal in Royal’s 4-1 win over Agoura on Tuesday.

Last week alone, Hambly and Royal (16-2-1, 11-0 in league play) shut out three teams, beating Channel Islands, 6-0, Camarillo, 5-0, and archrival Simi Valley, 2-0. The Highlanders can wrap up the league title Thursday with a victory over Newbury Park.

It is not as if Hambly has not been tested during the run.

“There have been one or two shots in every game where Steve has had to come through for us to keep the streak alive,” Royal Coach Kevin Corley said.

Against Simi Valley on Friday, Hambly faced two such instances. First, Sean Taketa curved a direct free kick around Royal’s defensive wall toward the right corner of the goal. At the last moment, Hambly lunged to knock the ball away.

Later, Hambly had to make another leaping save, grabbing a crossing pass just as a Simi Valley player was attempting to head the ball into the net.

“He’s almost always in the right position,” Corley said. “He gives the rest of the team confidence. They know it’s going to be tough to score on him.”

That confidence works both ways. Hambly said that the play of defenders Wade Stark, Travis Thompson, Carlos Santa Cruz and Sebastian Alvarado has made his job easier. “They pretty much take care of everything for me,” Hambly said, although with Hambly in the nets, Royal’s defensive quartet knows it can gamble.

Hambly directs his defenders like a field general moving troops: “I talk to my players. I try to position myself and position my players. I like to take the pressure away before it actually happens.”

Hambly’s skills as a goaltender--he also played on U.S. Olympic Development teams the past two years--have caught the attention of such four-year schools as Cal State Fullerton, Creighton, Azusa Pacific and Cal State Dominguez Hills. “I just want to play (NCAA) Division I or Division II soccer and see what happens,” Hambly said.

For all of his abilities on a soccer field, there are other arenas in which Hambly excels. He also starts as a weakside hitter on Royal’s volleyball team and he tried out for football for the first time last fall and won the job as punter on the Highlanders’ 10-1 league championship team.

“Playing football has really helped me,” Hambly said, noting that punting a football has made him more consistent when punting a soccer ball.

One of Hambly’s biggest thrills has been scoring his first varsity goal, on a penalty kick against Channel Islands this season. “I was nervous,” Hambly said. “I was thinking, ‘I had better make this or I’ve got to sprint back to my goal as fast as I can.’ I didn’t take a very good shot, but it went in.”

Which is more than most opposing players have been able to say.