Long Beach Cabrillo Extends Breakthrough

A list of firsts continued to grow Wednesday for the Long Beach Cabrillo boys’ soccer team.

The host Jaguars defeated Long Beach Wilson, 3-2, in a hard-fought Moore League game to record their first victory over the Bruins in nine tries and gain sole possession of first place in the league for the first time in the program’s five-year history.

The victory came a week after Cabrillo (16-1-1, 4-0 in league) beat longtime league power Long Beach Millikan for the first time and continued the Jaguars’ development under Coach Pat Noyes.

“This is a boost of confidence,” forward Freddy Tapia said. “A huge boost of confidence. [Millikan and Wilson] are two of the best teams in the Moore League so it’s a huge boost for us.”

Added Noyes: “This gets us over the mental hurdle of beating Millikan and Wilson. Now I want to see what we can do for the rest of the season.”

Cabrillo is a 63-acre, $55-million school in West Long Beach, on property previously used for Navy housing. None of its sports teams has won a Moore League championship, but the boys’ soccer team appears capable of ending that drought in a league that has produced three of the last five Southern Section Division I champions.

The Jaguars, ranked No. 9 in the Southland by The Times and No. 3 in the section Division I poll, finished third in league the last two seasons. But they have eight three-year starters on a roster that includes talented freshman midfielder Irvin Melgar.

Cabrillo plays an entertaining brand that emphasizes short passing. The Jaguars have outscored opponents, 47-10, this season.

“They’re a senior team,” said Millikan Coach Rod Petkovic, whose teams have won or shared seven of the last eight league titles. “They’ve been playing together for four years, and they play really well together as a team.”

Tapia and fellow senior forward Arturo Cota have attracted the interest of coaches from Cal State Fullerton and Loyola Marymount, and each scored a goal against defending Division I champion Wilson on Wednesday in a game in which eight yellow cards were issued.

Tapia’s 17th goal this season tied the score, 1-1, and came on a penalty kick at the 11-minute mark after Wilson goalkeeper Chris Dewalt kneed Tapia as he corralled a pass from teammate Sam Camacho.

Cota tallied his 16th goal 17 minutes later when his left-footed shot was deflected by a Wilson defender past an out-of-position Dewalt.

Cabrillo, 8-0-1 since a 3-1 loss to Santa Ana Saddleback in a semifinal of the Millikan tournament, took a 3-1 lead on a counterattack with less than a minute left in the half when Jose Sanchez fed Maimoun Camara with a pass that Camara flicked past Dewalt with his left foot.

Wilson (7-6-1, 3-1) narrowed its deficit to 3-2 with 15 minutes left when Morgan Boswell headed in an indirect free kick from Camacho. But the Bruins could not draw closer.

“This is another big win,” said Efrain Sandoval, a spectator who has two children who attend Cabrillo, including a daughter who plays on the girls’ soccer team. “For a long time, many of the kids have been leaving this area so they could play for either Millikan or Wilson. But now they’re starting to come back or they’re not leaving at all.”