Long Beach Jordan boys soccer suffers CIF championship heartbreak

DOWNEY >> The CIF Southe Section Division 2 boys soccer championship on Saturday afteoon at Warren High School was bookended by blunders for Long Beach Jordan. The miscues allowed Suy Hills to control possession, and net the golden goal in the first minute of overtime for a 1-0 win.

Jordan (18-12) started very slowly and didn’t get back into rhythm until the second half. After a scoreless 80 minutes of relatively even play, the teams went to the extra period only to have a long free kick bounce in the Panthers penalty box and past the falling Jordan goalkeeper for the golden goal. Suy Hills junior Herminio Padilla Jr. took the kick and was credited with the score.

“Just gutted,” is how Jordan head coach Chris Larios explained his team’s emotions after the loss. “We could probably take the loss better if it ended on a good play. And obviously we all want the game to end on a better play than that.”

Suy Hills (20-3-4) took advantage of the sluggish Jordan start and outshot the Panthers 5-3 in the first half. The best chance to score came in the 10th minute when Lancers sophomore Broy Toledo flicked on a bouncing ball with the outside of his right foot, but it bounced off the far side post.

“We weren’t ourselves in the first half and it took us 40 minutes just to shake off the nerves,” Larios said. “At halftime we talked about how bad we played and the fact that we were still in the game. I thought we woke up in spurts in the second half, but that game had penalty kicks written all over it.”

Both teams had six shots in the second half, and both put two of them on frame. Jordan goalkeeper Alessandro Martinez made six saves, including a one-handed stop in the 78th minute. Suy Hills goalkeeper Jordy Perez made four saves as the Lancers continued to play stout defense. They didn’t allow a goal in their last three playoff games, and only allowed 21 all season.

In an effort to prepare for playoff games against bigger teams, Jordan worked hard over the last month to improve its set-piece defense. It handled the Suy Hills free kicks very well, until the only one in overtime.

“The only consoling thought is that we’re not quite done,” Larios said after talking to his distraught team. “This group still has a chance to rewrite their last moment.”

Jordan and Suy Hills will both be in the CIF State Regional playoffs, which will be released on Sunday.

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