Indians not fazed by tough draw

Jeff Tully

The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team has seen its share of talented

teams this season.

Powerful squads like Anaheim Servite, El Toro, Brea Olinda, Santa

Ana and Encino Crespi have provided the Indians with some spirited

competition.

So it’s not unnerving to Burroughs Coach Mike Kodama that his

squad has a difficult opponent for the first round of the CIF

Southern Section Division II playoffs.

At 3:15 p.m. Saturday, the Indians will take on host Thousand

Oaks, which was ranked No. 5 in the final week of the regular season.

“All you have to say is that Thousand Oaks is the Marmonte League

champion, and that says enough,” Kodama said. “We know they are going

to be very physical and they are going to come to play.

“But we are familiar with the kind of soccer they play in their

league, and we have played against Marmonte League teams like

Calabasas, Camarillo and Moorpark. So I think we know what to expect

and playing a tough team is nothing new.”

The Indians (12-9-2, 5-4-1 in league) are in the postseason for

the first time in three seasons. They also come into the playoffs

after struggling on offense at times during league play, scoring 10

goals in 10 matches.

“We started out the season where we were scoring goals pretty

well,” Kodama said. “But later in the season, we hit a little rut in

league. But I know we have the capability to score goals.”

Leading the Indian offense is senior forward Sean Lowe, who has 12

goals. Teammates Michael Barbic and Raul Medina have six goals each.

Burroughs received a setback Thursday in its final league match at

Canyon. In a 4-1 loss, freshman starting goalkeeper Kevin Cardenas

injured his knee when he collided with a Cowboy player.

Kodama said Cardenas should be sidelined for a week and could

possibility be ready for Saturday’s match. If Cardenas is still

hampered by the injury, the Indians have a competent replacement in

Jason Salazar, who has played in goal this season.

The Lancers (15-1-4, 10-0-4) lost their only match to Rio Mesa,

1-0, in the Buena Tournament.