MISSION VIEJO – Macke Hutchins stood on the field at Mission Viejo High, struggling to contain his emotions. It was easy to see that El Toro’s sophomore goalkeeper felt like he had just let his team down.
Had he just caught the ball, the Chargers would not have to rely on penalty kicks to decide the championship match of the South Orange County Classic. But Hutchins decided instead to bat away a 50-yard lob from Mission Viejo’s Alex Valdivia, and Michael Oakson was there to collect the rebound and tie the score, 1-1, for the Diablos in the final second of the match.
As Hutchins began to walk toward the goal to face the next Diablos’ penalty shot, someone in the grandstands yelled, “Shake it off. We still believe in you.”
Moments later, he lunged to left, his finger tips deflecting the ball wide of the net to deliver a 4-2 triumph in penalty kicks and the Chargers’ third consecutive championship in the tournament.
“He has been brilliant for us all year. He is young. He is only a sophomore,” El Toro coach Shawn Watts said. “For a young kid like this to come in and still stay focused shows a lot of character. It shows what we are all about.”
Oakson’s goal was the first allowed by the No. 4 Chargers (8-0-2) during the tournament, ending El Toro’s shutout streak at 360 minutes.
Mission Viejo coach Roger Castle didn’t have much to say after the game, calling it “a really ugly performance.”
Most of the Chargers’ scoring chances came when Ethan Thrall launched a long throw into the box, but it was Sam Martinez’s 40-yard sprint down the field that gave the Chargers a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute. In mid-stride from just outside the box, he fired a shot across the face of the goal, and the ball landed in the net behind the far post.
“I’m excited. For the team to come together the way that we have is fantastic,” Watts said. “When we start firing on cylinders, it’s going to be dangerous.”
Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com
