Something had to give when JSerra and Loyola met for the Southern Section Open Division boys’ soccer championship Friday night at Fred Kelly Stadium on the campus of El Modena High.
Both teams entered unbeaten, having given up just 10 goals each all season, so one goal figured to be enough to win. It was, although JSerra added an insurance goal late to prevail 2-0 and capture its third section title and second in the past three years.
Tanner Casey, top, and his teammates celebrate JSerra’s 2-0 victory in the Southern Section Open Division boys’ soccer final on Friday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
The seventh-seeded Cubs played their San Juan Capistrano rivals even through the first 40 minutes. JSerra began pressing early after intermission.
A mixup in the back line allowed top scorer Gavin Allegaert to slip behind the defense in the penalty area and send a strike into the upper left corner of the goal with 20:53 remaining.
“It was a long ball over my head and the center back’s head and it bounced out in front of me, there was miscommunication between the keeper and center back and I buried it top corner,” the UC San Diego-bound forward said of his 20th goal of the season. “In these kinds of games scoring first is huge… whoever gets the first goal usually wins.”
The goal seemed to deflate the seventh-seeded Cubs (20-1-4), who were seeking their fifth CIF title and first since 2016. Loyola, ranked third in the state, had its best chance when Josh Gallagher stole the ball deep in Lions territory, whirled and fired just wide of the post in the 22nd minute.
JSerra’s Gavin Allegaert heads the ball away from Loyola’s Jack Nixon in the first half of Friday’s game.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
JSerra doubled its lead when Michigan commit Jake Tatch broke free along the left sideline, crossed to Finn Wilkins, and the freshman headed it in from seven yards out with 10:38 left.
“Jake played a great ball, I saw it coming and just had to attack,” Wilkins said.
Allegaert nearly made it 3-0 as the clock ticked under four minutes, but Christopher Stillwell made a diving, one-handed save.
Senior goalkeeper Liam Johnson made five saves to post his eighth shutout, the best being a punch over the bar in the final 10 minutes for the Trinity League champions (17-0-1), who defeated Sunny Hills by an identical score to win the Southern Section Division 1 crown in 2023 before going on to capture the regional crown and finish No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.
Coach Erik Kirsch’s squad hopes to write a similar ending this season.
“We were expecting a very similar style to Mater Dei,” Johnson said. “My defense does all the work. Most games I don’t have to do much but I’m there when they need me.”
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