Grant Boys Shoot for Respect in Victory

The Van Nuys Grant boys’ soccer team is heading to the quarterfinals of the City Section playoffs for the second consecutive season after a 1-0 victory over host Sylmar in a second-round game Wednesday. But if one listened to Grant Coach Frank Ortiz afterward, the victory was as important for the Sunset Six League, of which Grant is a member, as it was for the Lancers (15-4-2).

“Our league doesn’t get the respect it deserves,” Ortiz said. “This game should have been played at Grant, but [Sylmar was seeded] higher because they play in what is supposed to be a tougher league.”

Grant, the Sunset Six League champion, was seeded ninth in the 32-team tournament with Valley Mission League runner-up Sylmar (20-6-4) eighth.

The Lancers, who lost to L.A. University, 2-1, in the quarterfinals last year, will play at top-seeded and defending champion Woodland Hills El Camino Real (22-3-3) on Friday.

Grant, which beat Carson, 2-1, in double overtime in the first round, scored the only goal of Wednesday’s game at the six-minute mark when Johny Amaya took a pass from Melkin Morejon, dribbled past a Sylmar defender and beat goalkeeper Jose Diaz with a soft shot into the left corner of the net.

“He gave me a nice pass and thanks to God, I was able to score,” said Amaya, who has a team-high 27 goals this season.

John Ortega

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In a Southern Section girls’ game:

Canyon Country Canyon 1, Ventura Buena 0--Jaime Rendich scored in the 35th minute and the second-seeded Cowboys hung on in a Division II second-round game at Canyon.

Rendich, a senior midfielder, scored from 10 yards after taking a pass through the penalty box from Megan Lurty.

The Cowboys (16-0-6) will face the Claremont-Sultana winner in the quarterfinals Friday after eliminating a Buena team that was unseeded and much different from the ones that won and shared the last two Division II titles.

Buena (11-8-5) outshot Canyon, 16-12, and stayed with the Cowboys by winning most contested balls and absorbing Canyon fouls, which led to 23 free kicks. Canyon goalkeeper Lyndsay Taylor made 10 saves, including four in the last five minutes.

Lauren Peterson