Sailors Advance on Penalty Kick
Newport Harbor forward Justin Kerr swears the foul call that led to his game-winning penalty kick with three minutes left in overtime was legitimate.
“Honestly, he grabbed me by the shoulder and the shirt and threw me down,” said Kerr, who scored both goals in Newport Harbor’s 2-1 overtime victory over Santiago in the first round of the Southern Section Division III boys’ soccer playoffs Thursday in Garden Grove. “It was the right play.”
Santiago (20-2-1), which came into the playoffs seeded second, vehemently disagreed. After the game, two Cavalier players took off after the referee who made the crucial call. They were intercepted by Santiago Coach Sean Redmond and a security guard.
Afterward, Redmond was still livid about the call.
“I’m disappointed because it’s such a little ticky-tack foul to decide a game of this magnitude,” Redmond said. “It’s ridiculous to call a tiny push like that.”
Santiago freshman Erik Bautista said he had a good look at the play, which began with a free kick just past midfield and ended with Kerr falling amid a swarm of bodies 15 yards in front of the goal.
“It can’t be a P.K. because the ball’s in the air,” said Bautista, who gave Newport Harbor’s defense fits all day with his quickness and ballhandling skills. “It’s a 50-50 ball. You always fear a call like that because it leaves the game in the referee’s hands.”
Kerr also scored his first goal on a penalty kick. A Santiago player was called for a hand ball in the penalty box 26 minutes into the game. Santiago tied it 12 minutes into the second half on a hand ball call that led to Albert Mendez’s 52nd goal of the season.
Kerr scored his 24th and 25th goals, but he said No. 25 came much tougher than No. 24.
“I was worried [goalkeeper Freddie Medrano] knew where I was going,” said Kerr, who kicked both goals in the upper right-hand corner. “I decided to stick with what I knew. I was totally confident.”
Bautista said his team never lost confidence but it did forget its game plan.
“We fell into their game, playing long ball,” Bautista said. “With their height, we should have played our game, which is touching.”
Newport Harbor (19-5-4) will play Riverside Poly in Tuesday’s second round.
In other Division III games:
Pacifica 3, Laguna Beach 2 (OT)--Tim Anderson scored on an assist from Brandon Chow to give Pacifica (15-4-2) the victory. Trevor Stivers scored the other two goals for the Mariners.
Riverside Poly 2, Brea Olinda 1--Shawn Tellez tied the score in the first half, but Riverside Poly scored the winner in the second half. Brea Olinda finished 11-5-5.
Santa Margarita 1, Valencia 0--Chon Kantikovit scored the game’s only goal, assisted by Brian Piesner, for Santa Margarita (14-6-3). Nick Bonkoski had 12 saves for Valencia (10-10-3).
Moreno Valley Canyon Springs 3, Estancia 0--Eric Simmons, Chad Reckard and Gary Collins scored for Canyon Springs (13-9-3). Estancia finished 12-5-1.
El Toro 3, Anaheim 0--Wade Fraser, Matt Stein and Brent Stringham scored goals for El Toro (17-4-4), which will play Canyon Springs.