HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER PLAYOFFS : Cardinals Rule on Lira Goals

It was the quietest Cardinal who wound up making all the noise.

Ricardo Lira, a junior striker on the Santa Paula High boys’ soccer team, scored twice Thursday, powering the Cardinals to a 2-0 Southern Section Division IV second-round victory over Bonita.

Afterward, Santa Paula Coach Joe Magdaleno chuckled while explaining Lira’s understated presence on a team of vocal and aggressive players.

“He and his brother were watching us practice one day in December,” Magdaleno said of Ricardo and freshman sibling Rolando. “I asked them if they wanted to try out. I saw they had knowledge of the game and were disciplined so I gave them spots on the team.”

Good move, Coach. Ricardo’s goals in the 56th and 76th minutes allowed Santa Paula (22-2), seeded third in the divisional playoffs, to advance to a Saturday quarterfinal game at Cerritos.

Magdaleno said the offensive outburst was in contrast to Lira’s personality.

“He’s got a quiet, even temperament and that’s the way he plays,” Magdaleno said. “He does all the little things but you don’t notice. He feeds the ball to everyone.”

In the game’s opening 15 minutes, it appeared Santa Paula would cram several quick goals down Bonita’s collective throat.

The Cardinals used quick, flawless touches of the ball and uncanny anticipation to steal the ball and create scoring chances.

“That’s something we’re known for,” said Magdaleno, who has won eight Frontier League titles and a pair of Southern Section championships in his 16-year tenure. “This group has grown up together and they know where to place the ball and at what velocity.”

Despite a 7-3 first-half advantage in shots, the Cardinals could not score.

“I think [Bonita was] a little nervous at the beginning but then they started playing better defense,” Lira said in Spanish as teammate Tony Mendez translated. “But I knew one of those shots would go down if we just kept working.”

Bonita’s David Bohler helped the Cardinals’ cause when he was ejected seven minutes into the second half after receiving his second yellow-card warning. Since Bohler’s second card came on a violent foul, Bonita (18-6-1) was left a man short.

Lira scored his first goal nine minutes later, racing to the left post and tapping in a low cross from Javier Rodriguez. Lira’s second goal, his sixth of the season, was also from close range, on a pass from Hugo Llamas.