Reseda Flexes Muscle in Runaway Victories

The high school soccer season is less than a month old, but it promises to be a memorable one for the Reseda boys’ team.

Should the Regents live up to their considerable potential, they could hold the City Section championship plaque above their heads come March.

But should Reseda falter, thoughts of what might have been will plague the program for the second time in four years.

Saturday, in a pair of pool-play games in the Hart tournament, the Regents blitzed Valencia, 3-0, and Ridgecrest Burroughs, 11-0.

Reseda won its only section title in 1987-88, led by Terry Davila, the section’s player of the year. In 1994-95, Davila, then the team’s coach, guided the Regents to the semifinals, where they lost to Banning, 1-0.

Now, after two years as a Cal State Northridge assistant, Davila is back with the Regents (6-0) as a volunteer assistant to third-year Coach Julio Castillo and Reseda is rearing to go.

Saturday, goals by Rocky Monzon and Carlos Morales gave Reseda a 2-0 halftime lead over Valencia in a tournament opener at Hart High.

In the second half, Jesse Servin dropped a free kick behind a wall of defenders, where Oscar Sims collected the ball before tapping it into the goal from close range.

Against overmatched Ridgecrest Burroughs, the Regents roared to an 8-0 halftime lead before pulling back in the second half. Sims and Pedro Perez each scored four goals.

Top-seeded in the playoffs last season, Reseda was upset in the second round. But this year’s team appears every bit as talented and, unlike the 1996-97 group, has avoided infighting.

Credit much of the transformation to the pairing of Castillo, also a former Regent player, and Davila.

“They give us confidence on the field,” midfielder Jesse Servin said. “They give us their point of view but then they leave it to us to make the rest of it happen.”

Reseda will face Canyon on Monday at 1:40 p.m. at Hart in a semifinal game.

In other pool-play games:

Canyon 2, Cleveland 1--Jesus Figueroa scored the winning goal midway through the second half for the Cowboys (7-3). Canyon’s Jimmy Giordano scored on a free kick in the final minute of the first half to forge a 1-1 tie.

Glendale 1, Crespi 0--With each team missing four starters because of injuries and vacations, the Dynamiters (3-1-1) upset the Celts (4-3-1).

Midfielder Ivan Guzman scored in the 46th minute by bending a corner kick inside the near post.

Glendale finished fourth in the Pacific League and missed the playoffs last season while Crespi advanced to the Southern Section Division IV semifinals and returned 10 starters.

“We pretty much had to switch everyone’s position around,” Glendale Coach Loi Phan said. “I’ll take this lineup. They worked hard and played well as a team.”

Saugus 2, Crescenta Valley 0--Stephan MacLean scored in the second minute off a throw-in by Jeremy Kachorsky. Eight minutes later, Chris Holcomb fought his way through several tackles to feed Nathan Steele for a tap-in goal.

Saugus is 5-3-1. Crescenta Valley is 4-4-1.

GIRLS

Chatsworth 1, Quartz Hill 0--Leila Pate scored with five minutes to play, lifting the Chancellors (7-1-1) over the Rebels (3-4-1).

Quartz Hill 3, Newbury Park 2--Shauna Murray scored two second-half goals to help the Rebels (4-4-1) overcome a 2-1 halftime deficit.

Valencia 2, Oak Park 1--Alicia Alexander and Heather Zubis scored to push the Vikings (7-2) past the Eagles (4-3).

Hart 5, El Camino Real 0--Kellie Nordhagen and Mandy Stupar each scored twice for the Indians (6-2-1).

Agoura 5, Cleveland 0--Leah Fletcher had two goals to lead the Chargers (6-3).

St. Bonaventure 3, Temple City 0--Chrissy Pike scored in the first half and Libby Larsen and Kathleen Solomon in the second, helping the Seraphs (11-1) hand the Rams (8-1) their first loss.