SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION IV BOYS’ SOCCER : Sunny Hills Can’t Prevent History From Repeating

Sunny Hills Coach Mike Schade has to be wondering what he did to the Southern Section seeding committee to deserve this.

Five years of playing Sea View teams in the first round, five losses. The latest, a 3-1 defeat Friday to Saddleback in the Southern Section Division IV boys’ soccer playoffs in Santa Ana, was closer than it appeared. Nonetheless, Sunny Hills’ season is over, courtesy of the Sea View League.

“I was standing here last year in about this same spot talking to reporters about our troubles with the Sea View League,” Schade said. “Sunny Hills played a great game (Friday).”

Just not quite great enough.

Sunny Hills took a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second half on a spectacular Chris Roselli goal off a nice feed from Nick Walton. But it evaporated 12 minutes later when sweeper Oscar Cisneros lined a shot, from about 30 yards out, past a diving Jeff Murphy. The goal even appeared to shock Cisneros.

“The coach told me I had to go up, because we had to pressure them,” Cisneros said. “My partner (Juan Arreola) kicked it right to me and I just hit it. It was some 20 meters out. I couldn’t believe it.”

Within 10 minutes, Saddleback was on the board again when Ramon Alvarado rebounded Abdias Avila’s shot. Juan Maldonado finished the scoring with three minutes left when he scored off a throw-in from Avila.

“It seems like when the other team scores on us, the kids really pick up the tempo,” Saddleback Coach Mel Silva said. “Our league is so tough. We’ve been behind before to good teams and pulled games out.”

Schade said he saw the Saddleback outburst coming, but he felt helpless in trying to stop it.

“With the depth of their team and they’re so big and strong up front, I knew it was just a matter of time,” Schade said. “They just have too much firepower.”

In other Division IV games:

La Habra 4, Norwalk 1--Hugo Estrella, Miguel Garcia, John Mendrin and Mark Lamb each scored and Javier Flores had four saves for La Habra (11-5-5), which handed Norwalk (14-1-2) its first loss of the season.

The Highlanders will play the winner of La Verne Bonita-San Bernardino Cajon in the second round Tuesday.

Santa Margarita 2, Moreno Valley Valley View 0--Chon Kantikovit and Matt Blasdel each scored and Brian Casola and Mike Greco each had two saves to lead visiting Santa Margarita (14-4-5). Santa Margarita will play the winner of Corona Centennial-La Mirada in the second round on Tuesday.

Sonora 2, Lakewood Mayfair 1 (3 OT)--Chris Fernandez scored off a penalty kick in the third overtime to give Sonora the victory. Fernandez scored both goals for Sonora (16-3-3). His first goal came off an assist assist by Paul Copeland five minutes into the game. Mayfair tied the score, 1-1, with 23 minutes remaining in the first half on a crossing header by Joe Gritl. Mayfair finishes 13-8-4.