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Marina takes over first place with 17th shutout
FOUNTAIN VALLEY – It happened in the 37th minute of Friday’s Sunset League boys soccer game, the moment that proved why Marina has been considered a championship contender for most of the season.
Joseph Soliman sprinted around a Marina defender and headed toward a loose ball rolling into the box. Now, it was just the Fountain Valley forward versus David Elias, the Vikings’ senior goalkeeper.
With one kick Soliman could get his team back in the game, so as soon as he got near penalty spot, Soliman let the ball fly. But before this shot could even get off the ground, Elias came sliding in with a well-timed slide to knock the ball away.
Well-organized defense and solid goalkeeping has carried the Vikings this season, and on Friday No. 6 Marina recorded its 17th shutout of the season in beating host No. 9 Fountain Valley, 2-0.
Elias has only given up seven goals in the 23 games that he has played this season, giving him a .304 goals against average. Only once this season has an opponent been able to get more than one shot past Elias. Huntington Beach did it last month, winning the game, 2-0.
Marina came into this game in second place in the Sunset League standings, two points behind the Barons. But with the victory, Marina moved into first place, holding a one-point advantage over Fountain Valley. Each team has one game remaining.
Marina has played Fountain Valley three times this season, and the Vikings have won them all, giving up just one goal in those 240 minutes of soccer.
“I have never been a part of anything like this (when it comes to defense). David Elias is a big part of it. But if you look at the shape, the organization and the effort that our defenders put in, they work nonstop,” Marina coach Jeff Schofield said. “They do such a great job in front of him.”
Here’s an example of what he’s talking about. Two minutes into the second half, Ethan Morrow made a run towards left corner for Fountain Valley, but before he could get into a position to take a shot or send a cross into the box, Kevin Moses, knocked the ball off his foot with a sliding tackle.
“My hat is off to them. Their defense is solid. Real solid,” Fountain Valley coach Jason Smith said.
The Vikings, though, have struggled offensively this season, so they have turned into an opportunistic team, one that relies on taking advantage of mistakes and counterattacks.
Marina scored its first goal because of a Fountain Valley miscue. Joseph Loranger, the Barons’ first-half keeper, collided with one of his defenders as he tried to stop Marina forward Josue Medina from taking a shot. The two Fountain Valley players tumbled to the ground, leaving the ball behind, so Medina was able to softy roll the ball into an empty net to give Marina a 1-0 lead in the 28th
He scored again when he headed in a Luis Barajas free kick in the 78th minute. It was his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Medina set up the play when he drew a foul 5 yards in front of the box.
“If we can keep teams at zero, we are always in the game, and we somehow find a way to poke a goal in here or there. That has been our mantra this year,” Schofield said. “Josue is a big strong and physical guy and he does a great job of holding balls up. Sometimes they only had two guys on him, so he was able to spin and do some things on his own. He did a great job for us today.”
