Paramount Ends Sea Kings' Soccer Run With 2-1 Victory

Something had to give.

Corona del Mar’s boy soccer team, the defending CIF Southern Section Division 4 and Southern California Regional Division 2 champions, went head to head with Paramount, the defending Southern Section Division 3 and Southern California Regional Division 1 champions, for a chance for one team to repeat as a section champion.

The Sea Kings (16-3-7) saw their nearly two years of playoff perfection end one game short of another championship match with a 2-1 loss to fourth-seeded Paramount in a Division 3 semifinal Tuesday afternoon at Paramount High.

“This was just like a CIF final game,” Paramount co-coach Juan Navarro said. “We knew going into this game that it was going to be a war. We’re the defending state champs and there also the defending state champs, so we knew that this game was going to be a challenge.”

With the score tied at 1-1, Paramount (17-2-5) was awarded a free kick that was headed three different times by players from both teams before eventually being knocked in off the skull of Pirate forward Antonio Salgado.

Salgado, the smallest player on the field, somehow managed to get his head on the ball and hit it past Sea King goalkeeper Connor Gaal.

“I just beat him to them to the ball,” Salgado said. “When I hit it, I thought it had a chance and it just went in. It was really exciting.”

The Sea Kings have faced plenty of obstacles this season. They lost Reed Williams, last season’s leading scorer with 32 goals, to graduation. Then at the beginning of the season, they lost their best player, Jack McBean to the U.S. U-17 team.

McBean, who just flew in on Monday from Montego Bay, Jamaica, came off the bench late to contribute to the Americans' first U17 CONCACAF title on Sunday. He left the Sea King team in December to join the national team, and later signed a professional contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January but he was back with his friends on the team bus today shouting encouragement at his former teammates. 

“It was a big surprise to our guys to see him there,” Corona del Mar coach George Larsen said. “He gave us a little speech before the game about winning the CONCACAF championship and I the guys were pumped to see him. I wish we could have had him out there with us today; we just didn’t do enough.”

Paramount got on the board first in the 19th minute on a corner kick by defenseman Ricardo Villegas that was headed in by fellow defenseman Ricardo Zavala.

“I was looking for an opening in the defense before we took the corner,” Zavala said. “When the ball left his foot, I saw an opening and went for the ball. I knew if could get to it, I was going to put it in and I did.”

The Sea Kings knotted the score in the 36th minute as a result of a foul inside the penalty box by Paramount defenseman Tommy Osorio on Corona del Mar forward Brian Ford. Ford calmly stepped to the line and rocketed the penalty shot past the outstretched arms of Pirates goalkeeper Tony Maldonado.

“Not to sound conceited, but I knew I was going to make it,” Ford said. “It’s what I have been working on and practicing since I was a little kid. I was not going to miss that shot.”

Ford was the most dominating force on the pitch, beating the Pirates to just about every ball he was involved in and almost single-handedly took the Sea Kings back to the finals match with six shots on goal and numerous stops on defense.

“He was amazing,” Larsen said. “We moved him from the front to the back in the second half and then back to the front, but nobody else seemed to step for us. Give them credit, they were the better team tonight and they deserved to win.”

Fourth-seeded Paramount (13-2-6) will play the winner of the Fontana/Century match in a final match this weekend at a day, time and location to be announced by the Southern Section office.

"We have lots of experience, lots of returners [from last year's championship team]," Paramount co-coach Rafa Villasenor said. "We've been to the show. We know what it takes to get there. These guys want it even more than last year. They are very motivated, and I think that after a win like this we have a tremendous shot at repeating."