CORONA – El Dorado’s hot streak started in the regular season, continued into the playoffs and through the Division 3 championship game on Saturday, as the Golden Hawks earned a dramatic 2-1 victory over Citrus Valley of Redlands at Corona High.
Tyler Johnson’s goal off a set piece in the 78th minute lifted El Dorado to the victory and extended the Golden Hawks’ unbeaten streak to 16 games.
“I said with about five minutes to go, that somebody was going to win on a set play,” El Dorado coach Steve McManus said. “We had the last chance. We had the last opportunity to throw in and that is what won it in the end.”
The winner came off a throw-in by the Golden Hawks, with Connor Leach heading the ball towards Johnson.
“The keeper tapped it down and I was in the right place at the right time,” Johnson said. “It’s super awesome. It’s a great moment. I’m glad I get to share it with my teammates.”
The Golden Hawks have outscored their opponents, 9-3, in five postseason victories.
El Dorado freshman midfielder Ryan Bethencourt, off a pass from Connor Veronese, scored in the 27th minute to give the Golden Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Citrus Valley argued that an El Dorado player inadvertently headed the ball into the Golden Hawks’ own goal for what would have been a tying score.
But the referees didn’t see it that way and play continued without a goal being scored.
Citrus Valley had another apparent goal nullified when referees ruled that a Blackhawks player interfered with the El Dorado goalkeeper.
In the 57th minute, Elias Morales scored on a penalty kick to tie the score after the referee ruled a Blackhawks player was tripped in the 18-yard box.
The Blackhawks controlled the action early and got some touches dangerously close to El Dorado’s goal.
Eleven minutes in, Citrus Valley goalkeeper Chris Pedroza took a tumble after colliding with a teammate and was removed from the game. Mathew Chavez took his place for about three minutes, before Pedroza returned.
The Blackhawks’ Jordan Schaefer got set up beautifully right in front of the Golden Hawks’ goal, but Schaefer got too much air under his header and the ball barely went over the top of the goal.
“It had overtime written all over it,” McManus said of the game. “It was an unbelievably tough game.”