Sea Kings Beat Garey, 1-0, in First Round of Boys Soccer Playoffs

When a soccer team draws a free kick in their opponent's half of the field, conventional thinking is to put a kick toward the far goal post and let your front players try and redirect it past the keeper. But with the field already soaked and the wind and rain playing havoc with the ball, the Corona del Mar High boys team threw a changeup at Garey on Friday afternoon.

Instead of booting the ball on goal from just outside the goal box, junior defender Jack Gorab tapped a short pass to junior midfielder Mason Case a few feet away. Case dribbled a few feet into the box into an open space between two defenders and punched a quick shot across the goal and inside the right post for what could prove to be the game-winner, as the Sea Kings advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs with a 1-0 victory over Garey at Corona del Mar High.

Senior midfielder Brian Ford had drawn the penalty while trying to dribble the ball to the outside when he was taken down. The play was a variation on other trick plays the team had worked on.

 “We have a different play and that one was just kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing that we just decided on and it worked,” Ford said.  

With about 20 minutes still left in the game, Garey began to bring added pressure to try and score the tying goal. But the Sea Kings' defense held firm. About 10 minutes after the Sea Kings scored, Garey had a solid shot from about 20 yards out, but it sailed high. A few minutes later they again had a couple of strong kicks, but both were blocked be defenders before Greg Allen eventually cleared the ball out of the zone.

Rain fell for most of the game and came down heavily at times. The Sea Kings were also fortunate to have the wind at their backs in the second half, which aided them in sending long clearing kicks out of the zone. The final 15 minutes were what Ford called “survival mode.”

“It got messy, but we got it done," Ford said. "We’re very happy, very pleased.”

The Sea Kings started the game with most of the pressure on Garey. However, despite several close chances in the first 10 minutes, they failed to put any goals on the board. In the 38th minute, sophomore forward Conor Roche appeared to have an open shot on goal but a defender came sliding in front at the last second and deflected the shot over the goal.

The ensuing corner kick was batted around in front of the net, but the Sea Kings were called for a push before they could get a shot on goal. About four minutes into the second half, Corona del Mar had another solid shot that hit a defender before getting on goal.

In the 55th minute, Ford was moving the ball up the right side past the defense when the goal keeper charged out to cut off the shot. After a collision between Ford, the goalie and another defender, Ford emerged with the ball and tried to move back up field for a shot at the open net. With several defenders moving in front of him, Ford took a left-footed shot through traffic that sailed just wide left.

The victory puts the Sea Kings into the second roun,d where they will face Santa Ana Valley on Wednesday at a site to be determined by coin flip. Santa Ana Valley rolled past Eisenhower, 5-1, in their first-round game Friday.