Buena Soccer Team Unable to Shake Jinx

Coach Sean Roche was hoping his Buena High boys’ soccer team would finally break a season-long jinx Friday against host San Marcos in a Southern Section 3-A Division quarterfinal playoff match.

The visiting Bulldogs played well enough to win, but for the third time this season, it was the Royals who came away with a close victory, 2-0.

Senior striker Alberto Moreno scored his 26th goal for No. 4-seeded San Marcos (22-3-2) in the 48th minute to break a scoreless tie and his freshman brother Alfredo scored 11 minutes later to put the match out of Buena’s reach.

“It was exactly the same as our previous games with them,” Roche said. “We felt the odds were in our favor this time.”

In the other two matchups, during the Channel League season, San Marcos won 2-1 and 2-0.

Buena (14-4-3) might have pulled this one out if not for the presence of Alberto Moreno, a striker being recruited by a number of NCAA Division I schools.

The older Moreno was tracked for most of the match by Buena senior Steve Blanton.

Moreno grew so frustrated with Blanton’s sticky defense midway through the first half that Moreno drew a foul and a yellow card and a seat on the bench for five minutes.

But Moreno later capitalized on a big break to put San Marcos in front.

Buena halfback Ed Skuratovsky lost the ball in the middle of the field after being kicked in the head by a San Marcos player.

While the Bulldogs were arguing for a dangerous-play foul, Moreno scampered up the left wing with the ball and ripped a shot off the right goal post and into the net.

The goal was all-the-more painful for Buena because striker Victor Sanchez had been whistled for a dangerous-play violation that nullified his goal early in the first half.

The Bulldogs were denied a tying goal in the 51st minute when a shot by midfielder Matt Turner hit the crossbar and appeared to break the plane of the goal line. But San Marcos defender Paul McLean quickly cleared the ball away.

Buena surrendered the second goal when Alfredo Moreno clipped the crossbar with a corner kick from the left side. Mark Tovias leaped, but the ball bounced off his hands and into the net.

San Marcos Coach Abe Jahadhmy said only then was he finally was able to relax--after a tense 57 minutes of play.

“That second goal might have broken their backs,” Jahadhmy said. “All three games we played against them were even.

“The breaks happened to go our way. I have nothing but respect for Buena.”