Sports
San Clemente's Boys Top St. John Bosco in OT to Advance to First Title Match
After teams battle to 2-2 tie in regulation, senior Steve Palacios kicks game-winner that sends Tritons to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 soccer final.
San Clemente hosted its first Division 1 boys soccer semifinal game on Tuesday afternoon at Thalassa Stadium. The Tritons beat St. John Bosco, 3-2 in overtime, to advance to the CIF Southern Section championship for the first time in coach Michael Pronier’s lengthy tenure.
“I figure if you stick around long enough something good has to happen,” Pronier said with a smile. “It’s been 23 years of hard work but it’s the kids who constantly have to do all the work. I’m glad I finally got a group that really wanted to push through this. We’ve gone to the [quarterfinals] like five times since I’ve been here. To get to the semis was one thing and we could’ve been excited about that and not worked as hard, but we brought it to [Bosco].”
San Clemente (16-6-6) needed every ounce of effort it could muster to take down a talented Braves squad. The Trinity League champions defeated top-seeded Edison, one of the nation’s top-ranked teams, in the quarterfinals and had the Tritons on the ropes late in the second half.
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Each team tried to set the tone as early aggressor, neither willing to sit back while on the doorstep of a trip to the title match. San Clemente put five shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, compared to only two by the Braves, but both saw shots clank off the sidebar on the way to a scoreless opening half.
Bosco (15-11-3) sent a barrage of shots toward Triton’s goalkeeper Dylan Digiacomo during the initial few minutes of the second half. But it took until midway through the half for the Braves to bury the game’s first goal.
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Christian Wherley scored off a ricochet after collecting a rebound from an attempt by teammate Gabriel Tabon. Wherley wound up triggering a virtual avalanche of goals from each team.
San Clemente senior Kevin Gould knotted up the score only 70 seconds later, only to see his team fall behind once again in the 74th minute. Bosco forward Henry Rios snuck behind a bumped-up defensive back line before beating Digiacomo for his second goal in two games.
Rios tallied the game-winner versus Edison and appeared to do the same at San Clemente on Tuesday, until the suddenly up-tempo match continued to develop into a barnburner.
Tom Wiechert tied the score at two goals apiece with a highlight-worthy drive. The senior forward lured Braves goalie Andrew Lopez out of the net to set up a one-on-one showdown.
Lopez lunged in an attempt to impede his path, while Wiechert skipped one over the goalie’s head and finished off the drive inside with a short-range goal. His team-leading 18th score of the season capped off a flurry of four total goals in a six-minute span.
“Both teams were playing a certain way and than it just sort of went end to end,” Pronier said. “We’re down a goal, then we’re even and then we’re down one again. The emotions were going up and down the whole game, and I’m so proud of our guys for working so hard.”
Weichert broke out of a recent slump just in time. After accounting for a team-high 39 points and carrying the Tritons’ offense throughout the regular season, he had yet to score during the playoffs before tying the semifinal late.
“Tom hadn’t scored a goal in a few games. We kept staying positive and preaching to him that he was going to break out,” Pronier said. “He’s grown so much and showed maturity to keep working through it. He kept working all game and that’s what did it for him.”
Regulation ended with the score still tied, sending the postseason hopes of each team into overtime. The clash looked likely headed for a second extra session until Steve Palacios sent San Clemente into the Division 1 championship match with his game-winner.
The senior blasted a streaming line drive while on the move from 25 yards in front of the net. The shot was perfectly placed just inside of the far left bar, beating a leaping Lopez for the decisive score.
Palacios, playing through a painful elbow injury, now owns a goal in each of the past three games. Pronier credits the playmaker for stepping up when it matters most.
“Steve wants it now,” Pronier said. “He’s had a great career for four years and done some amazing things for us. We go back and forth sometimes because I know he has more in him. Over the last few games, he has finally brought it and I’m proud of him for giving his team, the school and himself [the opportunity] to have this experience.”
Said Palacios: “I can’t even describe [my recent play] right now. I love my team, they’re like my brothers, and I just wanted two more weeks with them. I didn’t want this to be our last game”
San Clemente now faces one final hurdle on its title quest: Santa Barbara, a winner over West Torrance on penalty kicks, 2-1, after the teams were scoreless in regulation and overtime.. The Tritons and Dons (20-5-3) square off for the trophy on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Warren High in Downey.