Late goal helps San Clemente escape with win

MISSION VIEJO -- With time running down, it appeared the San Clemente and Mission Viejo boys soccer teams would remain tied for third place in the South Coast standings.

Yet, a breakdown that led to a goal in the final two minutes changed that.

Steve Palacios scored the game winner, and the Tritons defeated the Diablos, 1-0, on Wednesday evening at Mission Viejo High.

The Tritons (3-2-2 in league), who won both league meetings withe Diablos, own the tiebreaker over Mission Viejo (3-4) for the CIF-SS playoffs with three games remaining.

“This was a big win for the playoffs,” San Clemente coach Michael Pronier said. “We were coming off two loses and 10 days of rest. It's not easy to play after that, but I thought our work rate was consistent today.”

San Clemente had lost to Dana Hills (3-1) and Tesoro (4-0) in its two games before Wednesday's contest despite outshooting those teams by a combined, 44-21. The losses made it unlikely the Tritons will win their first league title since 1998, but they still have a chance to make the playoffs, which they haven't missed in five seasons.

“Credit to them,” Diablos coach Roger Castle said. “They kept working hard. They made it difficult for us.”

The loss was a blow to Mission Viejo's playoff hopes. The Diablos trail the Tritons by two points, but the standings are hardly decided.

The Diablos finish league with games against Dana Hills, Capistrano Valley and first-place Tesoro. San Clemente closes with Capistrano Valley, Aliso Niguel and Dana Hills.

“We have to win three games,” Castle said. “A thing like this isn't all bad. We'll see which guys really want to play. It's a challenge. It's as simple as that. We'll see.”

The Diablos began Wednesday's game on the attack, challenging the Tritons defense and goalie Andrew Cuchessi. The senior keeper was making his first start since injuring his shoulder the day before league began.

He made a key first-half save on Forrest Maxon's shot when he punched it over the crossbar. Later in the half, Cuchessi ran from goal and made a sliding deflection on another shot from Maxon.

Maxon had a third attempt saved by Cuchessi in the second half.

“There were a few plays, but overall the defense did a great job,” Cuchessi said. “We didn't let anything in.”

Scoreless it remained with the clock ticking down. The Tritons drew a foul and sent a free kick into the box.

The Diablos cleared it, but Alex Vlosky sent it back in. The ball became free in front net, where Palacios touched it in for the game winner.

“I think it reflected our hard work,” Cuchessi said of the goal. “It feels great to win here. It feels like we are starting to get it back together.”

Contact the writer: ctobolski@ocregister.com