BOYS’ SOCCER ROUNDUP : Orange Takes Advantage of Drop in the Rankings

Orange Coach Kevin Esparza said being the county’s top-ranked team to open the season did more harm than good. But now that the Panthers are out of the top 10, they are playing their best soccer of the season.

In the semifinals of the Orange Holiday Classic on Friday, the Panthers continued to rise from their early freefall by defeating eighth-ranked Fountain Valley, 2-1, at Chapman University.

Orange (6-3-2) will meet Saddleback, a 2-0 semifinal winner over Santa Ana, in the championship game at 7 tonight at Chapman.

Santa Ana, which was ninth in the preseason polls and has since climbed to No. 1, was the last team to defeat Orange, 2-0, on Dec. 8. Ninth-ranked Saddleback tied Orange, 1-1, five days later.

“After we lost the first game of the season to Edison [on Nov. 29], everybody got down,” Esparza said. “Since the loss to Santa Ana, we’ve turned it around and haven’t lost since.”

The deciding goal came in the 51st minute when Alex Garcia found Victor Diaz at the top of the box. Diaz had a step on the nearest Fountain Valley defender and the junior used his left foot to slip his shot under the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Jason Owen.

The Panthers led, 1-0, in the 24th minute when Alex Zaldivar trapped a clearing pass just outside the penalty box and fired a shot past a diving Owen.

Orange had little time to enjoy the early lead as Fountain Valley (7-2) tied the score less than a minute later.

Adam Novak received the kickoff and sent a long pass toward sophomore Nick Tolman, who was streaking down the right side. Tolman beat an Orange defender to the ball and then sent his shot past goalkeeper Aldo Zuniga.

Joey Vazquez had a chance to tie the score with a minute to play when he broke free in front of the Panther net, but Zuniga, who stopped 11 shots, rushed out and deflected the ball wide.