Marina Boys Find Clear Sailing

The Huntington Beach Marina High boys’ soccer team has not been blowing out opponents and two of its victories have come via shootouts.

But the Vikings (6-0-2) are definitely a program to watch after defeating Alta Loma in a shootout Monday to win the Long Beach Millikan tournament.

Marina was winless in Sunset League play in 1999 and 2000, but the Vikings finished 5-5 last season after losing their first five games.

A 2-0 loss to Fountain Valley in the final game of the regular season prevented Marina from qualifying for the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

But with seven returning starters and some talented newcomers on this season’s squad, the Vikings figure they could contend for their first league title and earn their first playoff berth since 1994.

Senior goalkeeper Mike Oseguera, junior forward Anthony Ordonez, junior midfielder J.T. Searles and junior defender Josh Valerio are the leading returning starters for Marina.

Oseguera has posted three shutouts while giving up an average of 0.9 goals a game.

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Walking wounded: Laguna Hills (3-2-1) has been hit particularly hard by injuries this season.

Sweeper Mike Weisz, center-halfback Nels Andereck and defender Jason Asbury have suffered concussions, forward Marcus Kempff has missed some games because of a knee injury and goalkeeper Eric Reed was fitted with a cast Monday after suffering a hairline fracture of his left forearm in a 2-1 loss to Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley last Friday.

All five players sat out Monday’s 2-0 loss to Lake Forest El Toro, and the UCLA-bound Reed will be out for at least three weeks.

Reed and Weisz suffered their injuries on the same play when Weisz tried to clear a ball that Reed had fielded a split-second earlier.

Reed’s forearm was broken from the force of Weisz’ kick and Weisz suffered his concussion when his head hit the ground.

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Add injury report: Sweeper Gareth Moore of Temecula Chaparral, one of the team’s top players, is expected to be sidelined for another two weeks after suffering an ankle injury on Dec. 3 in a 4-0 victory against Santa Ana Mater Dei in the championship game of the Rancho Cucamonga tournament.