Los Amigos boys’ soccer strikes early, holds on late against Estancia
The dark skies above opened to a downpour just as the match was ending on Monday.
As swiftly as the raindrops came, so too did the goals for the Los Amigos High School boys’ soccer team, which did all its scoring in the first half in a 4-2 win over Estancia at home.
In rapid succession, the Lobos got goals from Izaiah Franco, Omar Arciga, Anthony Gutierrez and Humberto Rincon, sending Los Amigos to halftime with a 4-0 lead.
“We practice all week, come out with the ball, come out playing together, find our strikers, and just putting pressure on the team from the get-go,” Los Amigos coach Jesus Razo said. “I think that’s what helped us…just following the game plan and how we wanted to play.”
Los Amigos (4-2) has its second winning streak of the season, as the win over the Eagles follows a 3-0 shutout of Marina last Thursday. Monday’s result marked the first time that the Lobos have come away victorious in a match in which they have conceded a goal.
“It shows that we were dedicated, and we wanted to come out and play,” Los Amigos senior captain and defender Omar Martinez said of his team’s fast start to the match. “The second half didn’t go our way. We hope we can fix it for the next game and just work on what we’re messing up and do better each game.”
Arturo Mota and Rincon each recorded an assist for Los Amigos.
It would be a tale of two halves, as Estancia played with the energy and competitive fire to give itself a chance in the second half. The Eagles took 18 shots in their bid to get back into the game after the break, and 11 of those shots were put on target.
Richard Cervantes scored on a well-struck shot while making a run on the right side in the 52nd minute. Moments later, a red card against Los Amigos’ right back David Macias with Kevin Flores forcing the action to the left of the box put the Lobos down a man for the remainder of the contest.
Estancia (0-6) continued to push the ball forward, and in the 59th minute, Felix Solis brought the Eagles closer when he deposited Cruz Valdovinos’ cross in from the left into the back of the net.
The Eagles continued to put the pressure on. As clouds rolled in and daylight faded, Los Amigos goalkeeper Jorge Sanchez did well to stop the remaining six shots that came his way.
“It felt like the game wasn’t going to end,” Sanchez said. “They were pressuring and pressuring, and they kept getting closer and closer, especially since we didn’t have our 11th man, it felt like the game was going to get tied up.”
Sanchez gave insight into his mindset while his goal was under siege.
“My only goal is to make my team proud,” Sanchez added. “I kept saying, ‘You got this. Don’t worry about it.’ I wasn’t trying to overthink anything.”
The Lobos made a point of running back to their goal when the final whistle blew to recognize the effort of their goalkeeper, who made nine saves after entering the match for the second half. Daniel Terrones manned the net in the first half.
Estancia coach Robert Castellano was encouraged by the response from his team in the second half.
“Every season, every team, they go through their cycles, they go through their ups and downs,” Castellano said. “It’s never a straight line, but we haven’t played consistently yet. Every team hits a good moment within a season. We just haven’t hit ours. …
“I believe in them, I believe in myself, and I know that we’re going to get there. It’s only a matter of time.”
Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
