The Los Alamitos High boys soccer team will play for a CIF State Championship on Saturday in Sacramento, after defeating Bishop Amat, 2-1, on Saturday in the CIF Division 3 semifinals.
The Griffins have been on a magical run since the end of the regular season. They reached the finals of the CIF-SS Division 3 and were awarded the championship on forfeit, after their opponent, Calabasas discovered they had used an ineligible player. The Griffins were awarded the section title and Runner Up was vacated.
Los Alamitos then received a first-round win on forfeit when Bonita Vista had also discovered they had used an ineligible player. But the Griffins had found their stride towards the end of the season and had been on a roll in the playoffs. They posted three straight shutouts in the playoffs, before holding off Godinez, 3-2, in the CIF-SS semifinals.
“We have some kids that listen, they follow instructions, and defensively, we’re pretty solid,” Head Coach Donovan Martinez said.
In their two CIF State playoff games, the Griffins defeated Mt. Carmel, 2-0, and Bishop Amat, 2-1. The roller coaster ride actually started at the beginning of the season, when Head Coach Donovan Martinez learned that 13 of his expected top players had made MLSNext development teams. This made them ineligible for high school competition.
This meant that the younger players who would have been depth players, were moved up into starting roles. The young team struggled to find the right fit for the new lineups.
“So, it took us a long time to kind of sort it out and get some players used to the physicality, because they’re all new players to varsity, so it took us a while to really figure it out,” Head Coach Donovan Martinez said.
But down the stretch, they won two of their final three games to finish tied for fourth place in the Sunset League. They needed a play-in game for the final playoff spot and held off Huntington Beach, 3-2, just to get into the playoffs.
Senior Ethan Phung scored the game-winner in the playoff game and in five playoff games, he had scored five goals, including one in the semifinal win over Mt. Carmel. The Griffins will play Watsonville High for the State Championship at 3 p.m. at Natomas High in Sacramento.