It Is No Joke: Chaminade Surprises No. 1 St. Francis

Soccer fans might have to read this twice to believe it.

It’s almost comical, but true. The Chaminade boys’ team is the best in school history.

The Eagles proved that Friday night with a 2-0 victory over St. Francis, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, in a physical Mission League game in La Canada.

“This is the biggest win in Chaminade boys’ soccer history,” said defender Bryan Borreson. “We took it to another level tonight and we did it on their home field.

“We played with as much heart as we had. The win didn’t come from a little luck and a goal. It came from determination and hard work in practice.”

Joe Dillon led the Eagles to their fifth consecutive victory, with goalkeeper Matthew Witcher recording his fifth consecutive shutout and eighth of the season.

For the first time in at least a decade Chaminade (11-3, 4-0 in league play) stands alone in first place in the Mission League, one game ahead of St. Francis (13-3-3, 3-1).

It was the first time in school history the Eagles have knocked off a top-ranked team. Chaminade worked its way into the Times Top 10 for the first time in school history this week, ranked No. 10.

“This is the best season ever in boys’ soccer history at the school, said Coach Mike Gwaltney of Chaminade. “I’m very proud of the effort of our kids. They are so determined and dedicated.”

The Eagles dodged a bullet early in the game when forward Matt Nicchitta of St. Francis hit the post.

Dillon’s hustle put Chaminade ahead, 1-0, in the 25th minute. He won a ball in the air and dribbled untouched to the goal, touching the ball around goalkeeper Raul Calderon and shooting it into an open net.

“The kick was really high and I didn’t expect it to bounce,” Dillon said. “I just wanted to challenge for the ball. I went around the goalie and kicked it into an open net. I went in hard and just did my job.”

St. Francis pressed the Eagles consistently in the second half and the Eagles withstood the attacks, but not without a few scares.

Phil Weinberg hit the crossbar on a header from five yards and sent the rebound over the goal in the 50th minute. He just missed on another header in the 59th minute.

“I give a lot of credit to St. Francis,” Gwaltney said. “This was not an easy game for us. We still have a lot of work to do. We didn’t technically outplay them, we won on a lot of heart and drive.”

After midfielder Ori Adrabi of Chaminade hit the crossbar in the 74th minute, the Eagles added an insurance goal in the final minute.

Matt Ward crossed the ball to a wide-open Adrabi, whose shot beat Calderon but went wide to Dillon, who knocked it into an open net.