SOUTHERN SECTION 2-A BOYS’ SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP : Lee Gets Los Alamitos Past Anaheim

Los Alamitos boys’ soccer Coach Jerry Stowell nervously paced the sideline as his Griffins battled Anaheim for the Southern Section 2-A championship Saturday.

Stowell kept jumping up off the Los Alamitos’ bench, crowding the sideline, sitting down only when the referee admonished him to do so. Maybe it was Stowell’s expressive body language that gave the Griffins--who had never before reached the title game--the confidence needed to beat Anaheim, 1-0, at Gahr High School. Or maybe it was luck.

After a scoreless first half, Teddy Watson had the ball about 25 yards from the goal and passed to teammate Pat Lee, who headed it past the Anaheim goalkeeper from about five yards out for the score 18 minutes into the second half.

Joe Torres, the Colonists’ goalkeeper who had six saves, sank to the ground and held his head in his hands while Lee was mobbed by teammates. And Stowell stopped pacing for a few seconds.

“Pat to Teddy or Teddy to Pat, that’s the way it’s been all year long,” said Stowell, who has coached the Griffins for the past four years.

Still, Stowell and the Griffins had to face some tense moments for the remainder of the match as Anaheim (19-2-8) outshot the Griffins, 7-2, in the closing minutes. Anaheim’s best chance to score came with 8:38 left as Armando Solis broke free of several Los Alamitos defenders and shot from six yards out. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced out.

“I felt blank terror when he (Solis) got that ball,” Stowell said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, no. Here he comes doing his thing again.’ ”

Lee, a sophomore who scored 17 goals this season, said he was hoping the Griffins (17-5-5) could hang on.

“After I scored, I felt the match was 0-0 still,” Lee said. “Just waiting for the clock to run out seemed like an eternity.”