Edison boys’ soccer gets on track versus Fountain Valley in Surf League opener
During its run of five consecutive league titles, the Edison High School boys’ soccer team has certainly had better records entering league play.
The Chargers’ confidence, however, has not been shaken, as evidenced by a display of dominance in possession in a convincing 3-0 win over Fountain Valley with the Surf League schedule getting underway Wednesday evening.
Grayson Marquez had a goal and an assist for Edison (4-5-3), which also received goals from Scott Hess and Nathan Peterson. Russell Munier had an assist for the Chargers.
“We had to change what we were doing,” Marquez said. “We had to come together as a team, and it just took all of us coming together. One practice, we all just decided to meet, we met, and we came together. The next practice, everything was different. Everyone’s talking, everyone’s enjoying it. No one’s head is down. It really is just a big part of our game to be a unified team because that’s how we have to play the best.”
Edison coach Charlie Breneman told his players that the match was won in the first five minutes, praising the way his team got players forward and their ball-winning efforts against Fountain Valley (2-5-2).
“It’s one game, and every game is going to be different,” Breneman said. “But the way we played, the way we dominated the physical aspect, and then the way we were able to go forward once we got the ball is exactly what we want to do. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do it, so I’m super proud of the guys for executing.”
Starting fast had the Chargers enjoying their time on the pitch. Hess broke into the “Griddy” dance to celebrate his goal in the 24th minute. Leading up to the goal, Hess stole the ball from the Barons’ back line. He took a step to his right and then shot back against the grain, giving Edison a 1-0 lead it would take into halftime.
“Running back through that whole play, pretty sure we had a good shot on net, just pushed wide for a goal kick,” Hess said. “For me, pretty predictable where the goalie is going off that goal kick. I kind of read off the header, just tried to get it up on those center backs, and then after that header, I just kept pushing and it fell to my feet. I was able to get a shot off.”
The lead was doubled in the 56th minute. Marquez took the free kick from the left side of the box, inducing a rebound that Peterson slid into and put past Barons goalkeeper Austin Quach (five saves).
Marquez scored four minutes later, converting a cross played in from the right side by Munier.
Fountain Valley has been challenged in generating goals, as the Barons have scored multiple goals in a match just once this season. Maddox Davis and Adam Jenner each made one save for the Chargers in the shutout, which was the third clean sheet kept by Edison.
Jacob Cortez had a bid to end the shutout following the substitution in the net for the Chargers, but Jenner got a hand on the shot, popping it up into the air and completing the save by making the catch.
“I feel, at times, we’ve had like eight underclassmen starting, which is a positive,” Fountain Valley coach Jason Smith said. “We’ll return the majority of these guys, so they’re getting some valuable experience. We played some pretty good [nonleague] games.
“We played [Bellflower St. John] Bosco pretty even. We competed, even though we didn’t get the results because we’re struggling to score goals. … I feel like the future’s there, that this is valuable experience.”
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