Tim Lloyd has rarely played for the Servite boys soccer team this season, but the 10 minutes that he was on the field against Oceanside on Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton helped extend the Friars’ postseason for more game at least.
The junior goal keeper made a diving save, knocking away Victor Flores’ penalty kick as it headed to the left post, eliminating the Pirates from the Southern California Division 2 tournament and leading Servite into the semifinals of the So Cal Regional Division 2 championship.
“It (making the save) felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.,” Lloyd said after Servite edged the Pirates on PKs, 4-2, after playing to a 1-1 tie. Oceanside missed its first penalty kick while JT Cook, Garrett Amador, Oscar Flores and Joseph LaCasto converted on their attempts for the Friars.
The Friars (25-2-1) will play host to South Bakersfield (20-1-6) on Thurday at 4 p.m. at Santa Ana Stadium. South shutout Hart of Newhall, 1-0, on Tuesday.
“One of our goals was to win (the regionals), so these next two games are really important,” Lloyd siad.
Keith Murphy, who brought a 0.60 goals against average into the game, played the entire 80 minutes of regulation and 15 minutes over overtime, but once the game headed into PKs, Lloyd took his place in goal.
“He (Lloyd) was the ace that we had to use now. We have been training for it,” Servite coach Jon Spencer said. “I have told him for three weeks now that if we have to go to PKs that you have to be ready. He has been prepared and he showed it right there. Keith played amazing though, too.”
Murphy’s leaping save on Diego Garcia’s 25-yard line drive to the upper left corner in the 13 minute, and smothered Caleb Ramirez’s low hard shot to the near post in the 51st. Had either of those gone in, the Pirates would have won this game when Jose Aguilar buried a penalty kick in the back of the net during second-half stoppage time.
While making a run into the box for Oceanside, Arturo Rocha and Amador rubbed shoulders, causing Rocha to slip and fall. The contact resulted in a foul and the PK.
“We played a team that did a good job and hung in there, and their PK put us in a tough spot,” Spencer said. “We played better in the second half than in the first half.”
Servite took a 1-0 lead a little more than 10 minutes into the second half when Flores knocked in a pass from Christian Packard.
“I am proud of these guys. They found a way to be resilient and get the result,” Spencer said.
Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com
