ALISO VIEJO – Playing on its home field doesn’t seem to hold much of an advantage for the Aliso Niguel boys soccer team.
For the fourth time, the Wolverines advanced to the championship match of the tournament they host, and they are still looking for their first triumph in the Aliso Cup.
This time, Aliso Niguel got shutout by Downey, 2-0, with both Vikings goals on Monday night coming from Bryan Majano.
While the Wolverines fell short once again, Aliso Niguel coach Randy Dodge is looking at the bigger picture, and this loss could be a sign that a deep run in CIF is the Wolverines future.
The Wolverines (3-1-1) have made it to the quarterfinals and the round of 16 in the Southern Section championships after losing in the Aliso Cup championship match.
“This is a good group. They work really, really hard. We are better and deeper everywhere (than last season). We could make some noise again in CIF,” Dodge said. “That (Downey) is a good team. They were fun.”
The Vikings (4-0-1), who had five sophomores in the starting lineup, used precise passing to dominate possession, only allowing the Wolverines a few good scoring opportunities.
In the second half, Dodge used two attacking midfielders, which seemed help pry the ball away from the Vikings. And in the 58th minute, Ryan Nyberg sent a cross to the far post, which sailed just over Max Gonda’s head. That was the perhaps the best chance to get a goal in a flurry of five Aliso Niguel scoring chances in the second half.
Before that, though, Aliso Niguel rarely tested the Vikings young back line, which featured three sophomores. Aidan Marmain provided the only real threat for the Wolverines in the first half when he slipped around his mark and tried to poke the ball inside the far post. But his shot was quicly turned away.
“I have told the kids that this is all a part of the process to reach the ultimate goal (winning CIF). Winning is good, but keeping the kids humble is what we need to do now,” Downey coach Marvin Mires said. “It is a great way to start.”
