Edison boys’ soccer riding nine-game shutout streak
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Edison’s coaching staff saw an opportunity entering the week: two home games against the top of the table in the Sunset League boys’ soccer standings.
Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor, both within striking distance of the first-place Chargers, represented tough tasks but, nonetheless, it was a good moment to gain “wiggle room,” as longtime coach Charlie Breneman called it.
Dylan Petruolo scored twice in the second half on Wednesday, and Edison beat Huntington Beach 2-0 for its ninth consecutive shutout and eighth victory in that stretch.
“It’s pretty remarkable that we’ve had nine shutouts in a row,” Breneman said. “It’s something to be very prideful of. I’m not sure I’ve been part of a team that’s had nine consecutive shutouts, so that says a lot. I think the team has a lot of confidence. We know that we can get through games.
“Today was not easy. That first half was not our game, but I think we started the second half really well, started playing, started finding feet, and started connecting passes. Right away, started getting a couple chances because of that, and that really changed the game for us.”
Petruolo ended the scoreless deadlock in the 55th minute for Edison (11-0-2, 5-0 in the Sunset League). Wyatt Halbmaier won a ball, and the Chargers were off on the counterattack. Luke Lauro supplied the cross into the box, and though a hard-charging Petruolo got more of it than he wanted, it tickled the twine at the top of the goal.
“As soon as Wyatt won it and he gave me the ball, I played Lauro through,” Petruolo said. “I knew it was going to come to me. I knew Lauro has the class to play that ball to me. To be honest, I was just thinking, ‘Keep it down.’ It’s a great ball in, it’s a hard ball in, so if I let it hit my foot, I knew it was going to go in.”
Breneman chuckled as he heard Petruolo recite his approach on the game-winning goal.
“When the pass came in and Dylan hit it, I didn’t know it was going to be a goal until it hit the net because of just the way he struck it,” Breneman said. “I thought it could go over, or hit a bar, or something. It’s good to know that he didn’t mean to hit it there because it wasn’t very high-percentage to put it high, but I’m happy it went in.”
Huntington Beach (5-2-3, 3-2), chasing the equalizer, pulled players forward, and it very nearly paid dividends. Navigating the goal line to the left of the net, Joshua Soeda lobbed a ball over goalkeeper Brendan Bingman. The aerial cross found the head of Kelsen Janney, but Kendrick Taylor blocked a sure-thing goal.
“That’s probably our best player in the air right there, and exactly where you wanted him,” Huntington Beach coach Matthew Moseley said. “We score that goal and it’s a 1-1 game, and it’s a completely different outlook.”
Bingman, who made three saves to extend the shutout streak, expressed gratitude for the supporting cast in front of him, which also includes Nathan Theoret, Blake Colby and Jaiden Ramos.
“The guys in front of me give me confidence,” Bingman said. “They’re so solid and consistent. I have Blake and Theoret in the back, as my center backs. Blake is super speed, and Theoret is just so reliable. If I can get to it, I know I will, then I’ll go for it, but if I’m late getting there, then it’s going to be [one of the defenders].
Petruolo added another goal immediately after the near-miss chance for the Oilers, striking again in transition. Brayden Boano assisted on the second goal in the 68th minute.
Huntington Beach had handled the elusive Petruolo in the first half with a three-man back line that featured Duke Seitz, Nico Seitz and Travis Walker, surrendering just two of the Chargers’ seven shots on frame before the break.
The pressure ramped up for Huntington Beach following a 1-0 loss at Newport Harbor on Saturday.
“If we walk out of there 4-0 [in league], not only would we have walked into this game with 4-0 energy against another 4-0 team away, but you lose that game and now you’re going up against Edison,” Moseley added. “It’s not an easy opponent, so you go from are we going to be 4-0, competing for 5-0, to now we’re 3-2. It’s still early in league, so there’s still plenty of opportunities to make moves on the back end.”
Brandon Markert delivered the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute against the Oilers for Newport Harbor (7-2-1, 4-1), which remains one game back of the Chargers heading into Friday’s match at Edison.
“It’s close,” Markert said of the league competition following Saturday’s game. “A lot of great teams. We’re all very similar levels, but we work the hardest, I think. We’re going to get the result.”
