El Camino Real Reaches Summit With First Title

El Camino Real High, its boys’ soccer program left for dead six years ago, reached the pinnacle of its rebuilding process Saturday night by defeating Locke, 1-0, at Birmingham High to claim its first City Section title.

The Conquistadores (21-4-2), who didn’t field a team during the 1992-93 season because no coach could be found, prevailed on Jimmy Choto’s goal 30 seconds into the second half.

El Camino Real was section runner-up in 1997.

“This is fabulous, unbelievable,” said midfielder Ian Kogan, staring at several hundred El Camino Real fans leaping and yelling in celebration. “That final two years ago [a loss to Belmont] was heartbreaking. Now we’ve come back and finished it off.”

The third-seeded Conquistadores were outshot, 10-8, in the game and, 5-3, in the first half, but scored shortly after the second half kickoff.

Kogan sent a throw-in toward the net, where teammate Kellen McLaughlin planted himself close to the near post and brought the ball down with his torso.

Choto, racing into the box, hammered in a 10-yard shot for his eighth goal of the season.

“I saw Kellen hit it and I [told] him to let me take it,” said Choto, a senior forward.

“I just kicked it with everything I had.”

Said Kogan: “We said at halftime that whoever came out the strongest would win, and we were fortunate to get the goal right away.”

In addition to Choto, other Conquistadore standouts included midfielders McLaughlin and Mike Petchenick, outside fullbacks Jason Burbidge and Zach Feldman and goalkeeper Karl Mayr, who made five saves.

The Conquistadores were playing their third game this week, but even with weary legs they had an advantage over Locke (13-3-5), which, because of injuries and an ejection suspensions, dressed the minimum of 11 players.

The 13th-seeded Saints’ hopes for a comeback dimmed with four minutes remaining when Ever Reyes and Gustavo Lua were sent off with yellow cards, leaving their team with nine players for all but the final minute.

Damian Moss, Locke’s coach, said the lack of substitutes hurt his team, but he conceded little else.

“I felt if we’d had more players, especially [defender] Jose [Martines], we would have taken them,” Moss said.

“[El Camino Real was] quick and a good team, but they got a lucky goal. They might have looked pretty running the ball around, but they couldn’t put it in the goal on us.”

Informed of Moss’ comments, Coach David Hussey of El Camino Real smiled.

“It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks because one goal was enough to win this game and we got it,” said Hussey, who is 80-39-19 at El Camino Real in the last six seasons.

“I think we proved ourselves by winning it all and playing hard.”

El Camino Real, a team without a star player, has earned a deserving reputation for unmatched effort and improbable comebacks the last several seasons.

This time, the former meant the latter was unnecessary.

“We worked so hard because we wanted to be here,” Choto said. “That’s what it’s all about--the City championship.

“Now I just want to give everyone a hug and get a little rest.”