MARINA SOCCER TOURNAMENT : Vikings Defeat Santa Barbara on Penalty Kicks to Win Title

Although it’s only a little bigger than the average book, the Marina boys’ soccer team went through a lot of mud and effort Saturday to win the championship plaque of the Marina tournament.

The Vikings started the day by disposing of San Clemente in a semifinal. Then they endured two halves, an overtime and two sudden-death periods against Santa Barbara on a muddy field before slipping past the Dons on penalty kicks to win the title game at Marina High.

Marina (8-4-2) and Santa Barbara (6-0-3) finished regulation tied, 3-3. Neither team scored in overtime or in sudden death. Marina won, 4-3, in a shootout.

“That’s a lot of work for a plaque,” Marina Coach Dave McLeish said. “This has been a tough day.”

It could have been a much easier day for Marina. But after taking a 3-1 lead over Santa Barbara on two goals by Mike Harris and one by Jose Monroy, the Dons scored with 17 minutes left in regulation on a penalty kick by Alfredo Moreno. They tied the score with 11 minutes left, when Chris Martinez scored on a bicycle kick.

None of the mud-caked players seemed to have enough energy left to score in the overtime sessions. Marina clinched the shootout and the plaque when Tahi Jenkins scored to break a 3-3 tie in the shootout.

“This will give us a lot of confidence,” Harris said as he wiped mud off his face. “It was a lot of fun in the mud. You can tell who played hard by looking at them.”