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San Clemente boys soccer program makes history
SAN CLEMENTE – San Clemente coach Mike Pronier brought his boys soccer team together before the regular-season finale and showed the players a photo that was taken before they were even born.
It was of the 1993 Tritons, the last team to go undefeated in league and win the championship. San Clemente had a chance to do the same thing Thursday if it didn’t fall at home to No. 5 Aliso Niguel.
The Tritons got off to a fast start.
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In the 17th minute, Gage Zerboni flicked a corner kick back to Ryan Stoll, who headed the ball in to give the No. 2 Tritons and early lead, but just two minutes later Christian Olmedo hooked an 18-yard free kick around the San Clemente wall and into the upper-right corner of the goal to tie the score, 1-1, which is how the game ended.
The result meant that San Clemente's boys soccer team equaled what was done 19 years ago. The Tritons (17-4-4, 6-0-2) won the South Coast League championship without losing a game. The Tritons will likely be the No. 2 or 3 seed when the CIF-SS releases its playoff pairings Monday. Servite, the top-ranked team in the division, is expected to be the No. 1 seed.
This also marked the first time in school history that the San Clemente boys soccer program won what Pronier called “the triple crown.” All three levels at San Clemente, frosh/soph, JV and varsity, won the league championship. Combined, those teams lost just 10 of their 75 games.
“For me the goal has always been to run a solid program. And we have good players that work really hard, and the coaching staff does a great job preparing them,” Pronier said. “I am really proud of what we did.”
San Clemente appeared to have chance to win Thursday’s game in the 73rd minute. Oscar Vasquez lofted a high pass from midfield to the left touchline where Danny Martinez leaped high and headed it to Gage Zerboni. Zerboni dribbled into the box, but he fell when an Aliso Niguel defender made contact with him.
The assistant referee appeared to be waving his flag signaling a penalty kick, but the center referee let play continue, and the Wolverines were awarded a goal kick.
The Wolverines, too, had a chance to walk away as a winner. Plenty of them. In the first half, Ivan Velev watched his header glance off the bottom of the cross bar and bounce away, and then in the second half, senior midfielder Beezer Wehan fired a point-blank shot at San Clemente goal keeper Elias Licea, but Licea dived to the left and batted the ball away.
Then twice towards the end of the game, the Wolverines had a look at an open goal, but missed getting the ball on target.
“When you have open looks, you have to put those away. I thought we dominated the second half. I think the first half, they killed us. We had no answer,” Aliso Niguel coach Randy Dodge said. “I am pleased with my guys. For us to even be in these games is testament to our work rate and organization. I am proud of my boys.”
Statistically, this year’s San Clemente team is better than the one that won a CIF-SS Division 1 and So Cal Regional championship last season. In the 2010-11 season, the Tritons finished with 47 goals, 41 assists and a 1.208 goals against average. Despite losing three key players, Tom Wiechert, Steve Palacios and Kevin Gould, to graduation, this season, San Clemente has 56 goals, 42 assists and a .719 GAA.
“We have given away less and scored more, and the kids are still trying to improve,” Pronier said. “This team has made a great effort trying to come together as a group.”
