Mater Dei defense gets credit for victory

SANTA ANA - Rafi Balikcioglu sprinted down the field in the final minute of Wednesday's Trinity League game at Mater Dei, trying one final time to tie the game for Servite.

But just as he was about to dribble into the box, a Monarchs defender came sliding in with a perfect tackle. The No. 6 Friars were denied once again.

Defense won this game for No. 9 Mater Dei. Well, that and a goal from Scott Robertson in the 13th minute. The junior midfielder took a pass from Matt Padilla and then used a few nifty moves to swerve around a couple of Friars before he fired home the winning goal in this 1-0 triumph.

"This is a huge win. It is the biggest win of the season for us," Mater Dei coach Andy Thomas said. "The performance today was everything that we asked for. Everyone really stepped it up. 

"It was like a championship game for us because that is what Servite is. It's a rivalry. And as expected they were organized and excellent, and we had to bring everything we had."

Garrett Bradbury returned to the Friars' lineup. The speedy junior forward had been sidelined for most of the season by some nagging injuries, so the Friars (11-4-2, 3-2-1) played most of the second half without Balikcioglu.

Mater Dei (11-2-4, 4-1-1) had three forwards in the game, and Servite coach Mike Lussier said Balikcioglu is better suited to play against a two-forward lineup because he is so fast. A three-forward line, Lussier said, changed the dynamic of the game.

"And that kind of a lineup isn't Rafi's cup of tea," Lussier said. "But he's just too good of a player to keep off the field."

So with about 10 minutes or so remaining, Balikcioglu entered the game, giving the Friars a four-forward lineup.

"He (Lussier) was chasing the game and he went for it, and it was hard for us to take the pressure," Thomas said. "They bombarded us in the last 10 minutes."

And in the 74th minute, the Friars came close to tying the game Nick Echeverry fired a cross to Balikcioglu, but Paul Elias stopped the shot, one of the four saves the Mater Dei goalie recorded on Wednesday.

On Friday, the Monarchs travel to San Juan Capistrano to face JSerra, which quite possibly has the most talented lineup in the county.

The last time the two teams met, the Lions took a 3-0 lead into halftime, but the Monarchs rallied and cut the deficit to 3-2 by the end of the game.

The Lions beat host Orange Lutheran, 2-0, on Wednesday and are now tied for first in the Trinity League with the Monarchs. Juan Gutierrez and Dylan Seedman, the Lions' two outstanding sophomore forwards, scored in Wednesday's victory against the Lancers.

"The skill they (JSerra) have got … I feel they are the best team in the county," Thomas said. "They (Seedman and Gutierrez) are very skilled. It is going to be another huge game for us."

Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com