Los Alamitos Gets Jump on Oilers, 1-0

In the battle for Sunset League boys’ soccer supremacy, give the early advantage to Los Alamitos.

The host Griffins, ranked seventh in the county, beat No. 5 Huntington Beach, 1-0, Wednesday to move into first place and set up a possible championship showdown with the Oilers in three weeks.

“I think it’s going to come down to the final game [against Huntington Beach],” Los Alamitos Coach Trey Scharlin said. “These are two great teams.”

After a frenetic but scoreless first half, Cameron Kolovos scored the game-winner for Los Alamitos in the 58th minute, taking a perfect crossing pass from fellow midfielder Eddie Wertenbroek and depositing the ball past helpless Oiler keeper Shaun Roberts.

Kolovos didn’t have a Huntington Beach defender within 10 yards of him on the play.

“I was surprised I was that open,” he said. “It was a great pass.”

The Griffins (13-1-4, 3-0-1) used a fast-paced style the entire first half and most of the second, pinching their midfielders into the offensive zone and creating a back-and-forth game that resulted in several quality scoring opportunities for both squads.

The run-and-gun style may have taken its toll on Huntington Beach’s players, as the Oilers (9-3-1, 3-1) were unable to mount a sustained attack following Kolovos’ goal.

“[The style of play] was a factor,” said Oiler Coach Will Cummins. “We were too content to kick the ball long and hope that [high-scoring forwards] Joel Murphy and Drew McAthy could score. You can’t win that way.”