BREA-OLINDA SOCCER TOURNAMENT : El Dorado Battles Gahr Before Losing, 3-2, in Shootout

Manny Toledo, boys’ soccer coach at El Dorado, focused on the Golden Hawks’ progress rather than their loss to Gahr in a championship semifinal of the Brea-Olinda Tournament Saturday night.

“I was just happy to be in the final four in the tournament,” said the first-year coach. “We have a very young team with seven underclassmen and the team played well--way ahead of where it should be.”

Indeed, El Dorado (6-1-2) stayed close, forcing Gahr into overtime, before losing, 3-2, in a shootout.

With less than six minutes remaining in regulation, junior midfielder Kevin Haynes took a cross from sophomore Jason Bernard and kicked it past Gahr defender Juan Hernandez and goalkeeper Frank Travao to tie the match, 2-2. El Dorado then kept possession of the ball as time ran out.

After playing two 10-minute overtimes in which Gahr (5-1-2) dominated the first and El Dorado the second, the match went into a sudden-death shootout.

With El Dorado ahead, 3-2, in penalty kicks, a kick by Gahr’s Randy Bejarano hit the side of the goal post. A kick by El Dorado’s Bernard did the same, and then Gahr’s Scott Edwards made his attempt to make it, 3-3. Blayne Leitner missed and Jeremy Snell kicked the ball past El Dorado goalkeeper Drew Wardell to end the match.

Sean Wohland scored a go-ahead goal in the second half, giving Gahr a 2-1 lead with 38 minutes left.

Junior Luciano Cid scored El Dorado’s first goal and Wardell had seven saves.

In the other semifinal:

Katella 1, Edison 0 (penalty kicks)--Goalie Trevor Ross had nine saves to help Katella (5-0-1) shut out Edison (2-2-2).