Highlanders Walk With Royalty

Shootout or staring contest, when it comes the Southern Section Division I final, the Royal High boys’ soccer team can’t be beat.

For the second time in three seasons, the Highlanders edged Fountain Valley for the division title. But whereas the 1995 final was a wild 5-4 victory, Friday night’s was a 1-0 nailbiter.

Brandon Kay scored in the 50th minute, knocking a deflected shot by Kendall Simmonds into the lower left corner of the goal.

From there, Royal didn’t blink in the face of tremendous pressure from Fountain Valley, denying the Barons at every turn to win its 16th consecutive match.

Kay, who scored twice in Tuesday’s semifinal victory, has made a habit of scoring big goals in his three varsity seasons. He was lauded by Highlander Coach Kevin Corley during the postmatch celebration.

“He did it again,” Corley said. “What a great shot.”

The play began with Royal (26-5-1) quickly clearing the ball upfield and catching the Barons (20-6-3) off-guard with the sudden transition.

Simmonds received a pass and fired a shot from the right wing which bounced off a defender’s back and out to Kay at the top of the penalty area.

“I looked around and the only person near me was the ref,” said Kay, who finished the season with 13 goals. “I saw the keeper and a defender in front of me and I just shot it between them.”

In the minutes following the goal, Royal was on its heels. But as the half progressed, the Highlanders wrested control of the match.

“They took it to us in the first half but it was still scoreless so I felt good,” Corley said. “We’ve been shut out once this season so I knew if we could continue to hold them we’d win.”

There were plenty of standouts in the physical and fast-paced match.

Goalkeeper Matt Rainer made five saves, including three that elicited roars from the Royal fans. The 6-foot-4 senior was also a force in the air, moving aggressively off the goal line to pluck crossing passes and free kicks out of the air.

“One game you wonder what he’s doing back there and the next he’s magnificent,” Corley said. “The saves he made, he didn’t give up any rebounds and they were swarming the goal.”

Another hero was Matt Rainer’s twin, Mike, an outside midfielder who aided Royal’s aerial dominance and repeatedly carried the ball upfield on long runs.

Simmonds, who spent the night with defender Robby Kaessner all but riding on his back, fought his way free and was a constant threat.

“[Kaessner] was really determined but the sweeper hung back about five yards so I could receive the ball and look for Brandon or Dan [Wilson],” Simmonds said. “That opened up our offense because their defense couldn’t push up on us.”

Simmonds said the title, Royal’s third, was especially sweet since the Highlanders struggled early in the season, starting 1-2 in Marmonte League play before winning the league title.

“We were faced with a lot of adversity early,” said Simmonds, who with Kay, was a starter on the 1995 team. “But we talked and figured out who plays how. We had to play more as a unit because we’re not as talented as two years ago.”

Never mind, the result’s still the same.