Boys close tournament with 1-goal losses
By Joe Naiman
Ramona High School’s boys soccer team ended the Grossmont Tournament with a pair of one-goal losses on Saturday.
The 2-1 loss to University City in the final pool play game and the 3-2 overtime loss to San Dieguito Academy in the semifinal match gave the Bulldogs a 4-2-1 record for the season.
“We’re there,” said Coach Michael Jordan. “We’re competing with some of these good teams. But we just need to take the next step and finish things off.”
Ramona had a 1-0-1 pool play record prior to the match against University City to determine the pool championship. The Centurions scored the game’s first two goals with the second score occurring on a penalty kick.
All three of the game’s goals were scored in the first half. Ramona halved its deficit when Jose Valencia’s direct kick went into the net.
“We had our opportunities,” Jordan said. “We just couldn’t get it done.”
Although Ramona finished second in pool play, that position gave the Bulldogs a semifinal berth against the other pool’s winner. San Dieguito Academy scored the game’s first goal. Ramona earned the equalizer when Ricky Rodriguez scored on a cross from Andy Garcia, and the game was a 1-1 tie at halftime.
Garcia scored on a second-half penalty kick to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead, but when Ramona’s defense was unable to clear a corner kick the Mustangs tied the score.
The overtime proceedings for the Grossmont Tournament included two seven-minute sudden-death overtime periods. The first of those was scoreless. Near the end of the second overtime, the Mustangs scored on a cross and header.
Since the Bulldogs had played two games earlier in the day, Jordan gave the team the option of letting the junior varsity players participate in the annual varsity-alumni game that night. The varsity squad declined that offer.
“They wanted to do it,” Jordan said.
The alumni had a 4-0 halftime lead and earned a 5-1 victory.
“They just didn’t have anything left in the tank,” Jordan said of the varsity squad.
Jordan, who graduated from Ramona High School in 1989, played for the alumni during the varsity-alumni game. The Ramona varsity captains coached the varsity squad, and Jordan noted that the experience provided them with additional leadership ability.
The tournament hosted by Oceanside High School is now called the Southern California Classic. It begins Dec. 27, and Ramona will have games against Carlsbad and Mission Hills that day.