SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION 4-A BOYS’ SOCCER : Ocean View Knows a Little Luck Always Helps

To hear Ocean View soccer Coach Paul Kollar tell it, one gets the impression the Seahawks are darn lucky to have reached the Southern Section 4-A final.

Never mind that the Seahawks are the top-seeded team in 4-A. Or that they ran away with the Sunset League title. Or that they have a 15-match unbeaten streak. Or that they’ve won their last two matches by scores of 4-1. Or . . .

No, forget all that. When the Seahawks (21-4-3) take the field at Cerritos Gahr High School at 8 tonight to play La Verne Damien (20-5-2), they will feel fortunate to be there.

“To tell you the truth, there were times when it didn’t look too good for us,” Kollar said. “We’ve struggled to get here, but this was our goal. All the other stuff, the rankings, the streak, all of it, wasn’t important. Getting here was.”

Kollar knows, all too well. During his 12 years as coach, the Seahawks have had plenty of success.

They have won six league titles, reached the quarterfinals three times and the semifinals once. Yet this is the first time Ocean View has reached a championship match.

“It is so difficult to make it this far,” Kollar said. “Soccer is such a low-scoring game that just one break, one call, one non-call, is magnified. It doesn’t matter how good you are.”

Kollar speaks from experience. Last season, the Seahawks entered league play as the top-ranked team in 4-A, but didn’t make the playoffs.

“We had won the South Torrance tournament and were 12-2,” Kollar said. “All of a sudden, it was like someone put a steel curtain in front of the goal. We missed penalty kicks, even. It was horrendous luck.”

Still, the experience prepared the Seahawks for this season.

“We primarily had a junior team and the kids learned from that experience,” Kollar said. “They knew they had to be committed the entire season. We’ve played as a team.”

As a result, the Seahawks haven’t lost since the final of the Orange tournament.

They’ve had a balanced attack, with five players scoring seven or more goals. Chris Martin and Luan Lai each have 10 goals, Ryan Schomberg nine and Radim Konecny and Daniel Tomlin seven.

“We got a lot of guys who can rock ‘n’ roll,” Kollar said.

That balance was evident in the semifinal match against Alta Loma. Martin, Tomlin, Schomberg and Scott Roberts scored second-half goals to overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit.

“We got into a rhythm and started knocking the ball around,” Kollar said. “Everyone was touching the ball. That’s the way it’s been all season.”