Abdalla Rises to Occasion as South Wins Shootout

Todd Abdalla might have been outdone by Orange goalkeeper Aldo Zuniga during the regular season, but the Trabuco Hills senior made his mark in the Orange County high school boys’ soccer all-star game Friday night.

Abdalla stopped all four attempts by the North in the break-away shootout used to settle the 1-1 tie at Chapman University.

Meanwhile, Scott Martio of Trabuco Hills and Edison’s Todd Marcus were able to slip the ball past Zuniga, The Times player of the year.

“I think the goalkeepers enjoy the break-away shootout more than anything,” South Coach Curt Bauer of Santa Margarita said. “On penalty kicks, they don’t have a chance.”

The break-away shootout, which is used by Major League Soccer, allows players five seconds to shoot starting from 35 yards.

Abdalla, the South Coast League’s most valuable player, was successful rushing out at attackers and deflecting the ball wide.

The North’s goal came early in the first half when Nick Purdom of El Modena used a chest pass to direct the ball to Esperanza’s Aaron Poling, who beat Abdalla to his left from about 20 yards.

The South answered later in the half as Santa Margarita’s Matt Blasdel put his corner kick in the box, where Ryan Hammer of Laguna Hills chipped it in.

“Everybody played very solidly,” Bauer said. “Both teams had great chances and made it fun to match.”

Lanny Rudner of Foothill had five saves in the first half for the North before being replaced by Zuniga, who helped Orange to a Southern Section title this year.

Abdalla played the entire game for the South.