Vargas Thrives Under Pressure : Boys’ soccer: Kennedy goalkeeper, who has 10 shutouts in 16 games, has an uncanny knack for stopping shots when the heat is on.

LA PALMA —  There have been times when Kennedy High School goalie Jerry Vargas has allowed other teams to score. It doesn’t happen too often, but occasionally a shot gets by him.

At those moments, Vargas knows why he wanted to be a goalkeeper.

“You’re out there in front of everybody,” he said. “If the other team gets a goal, people are going to say, ‘They scored on Jerry.’ ”

Vargas, a senior, thrives on that pressure. He takes opponents’ goals personally, which is why they rarely happen.

In 16 games this season, Vargas has 10 shutouts and has allowed only seven goals. He has given up only three goals in eight Garden Grove League games.

His play is one of the main reasons the Fighting Irish are in first place in the league. Kennedy is 10-3-5, 6-0-3 in league play.

“Good goalies are hard to find, which is why I feel lucky to have Jerry,” Kennedy Coach Vladimir Nieto said. “He is strong fundamentally and works hard to improve. But he also does things that aren’t coachable, like his anticipation and instincts.”

Those skills are never more apparent than on penalty kicks, when the pressure on a goalie is the greatest. Vargas has an uncanny knack for stopping such shots.

In games that are tied after an overtime period, teams get five penalty kicks to determine the winner. It’s a rule that is usually used in playoff games.

As a sophomore, Vargas found himself in just such a situation. In the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 2-A playoffs, Kennedy and Arroyo Grande were tied, 0-0, after overtime. Vargas proceeded to block three penalty kicks and Kennedy advanced.

This season in a nonleague game against Brea-Olinda, Vargas stopped three kicks. Kennedy won, 3-0, on penalty kicks.

“That has a great psychological impact on a team,” Brea-Olinda Coach Manny Toledo said. “He blocked the first two and then our next kid missed wide. He was psyched out by Vargas.”

Unlike many goalies, Vargas doesn’t try to guess which way a penalty kick will be kicked. Instead, he waits and reacts to the play.

“If you’re guessing, then you could end up diving the wrong way,” Vargas said. “I’d rather fall the same way as the ball. I have a chance then.”

Those skills are partly hereditary. His father, Jose Vargas, was a goalkeeper for a professional team in Costa Rica. His uncle, Sergio, was also a keeper and played for a club team in Cerritos.

When Vargas was young, he would go see his uncle play. Watching Sergio Vargas tend the net is still a vivid memory for him.

“I think that’s what got me started as a goalie,” Vargas said. “My uncle would be diving for shots left and right. I would do the same when I was messing around at home.”

However, Vargas’ talent was unrefined until he was in the seventh grade. It was then he was discovered by Nieto.

Diego Vargas, Jerry’s brother, was a midfielder for the Fighting Irish from 1984-87 and kept telling Nieto about his younger brother.

Nieto finally agreed to take a look for himself. He came away so impressed that he asked Vargas to join his club team.

“Diego was a good player, so I figured his brother must be a good one, too,” Nieto said. “But when I watched Jerry work out, I thought he had a chance to be a great goalkeeper. He had natural skills.”

When Vargas was a freshman at Kennedy, he received expert training. Nieto brought in coaches just to work with his goalie.

“It is the only specialized position in soccer, so you need specialized coaching,” Nieto said.

Vargas played on the junior varsity as a freshman, but was called up to the varsity for the playoffs.

The following season, Vargas was the starting goalie and helped Kennedy win the league title. He had seven shutouts that season, including a 1-0 victory over Pacifica.

At the time, the Mariners were undefeated and the No. 1-ranked team in Orange County.

“They had a player, Danny Barber, who was an All-American, but it was Jerry who was the star of the game,” Nieto said. “We could have easily lost that game, 5-1, but Jerry stopped everything they threw at him.”

Last season, Vargas had nine shutouts and again helped the the Fighting Irish reach the playoffs.

Kennedy lost in the first round to Laguna Hills, which won the 2-A championship. Vargas gave up two goals, but also made 17 saves.

“We put a lot of pressure on him from the start,” Laguna Hills Coach Scott Johnson said. “Still, we were behind, 1-0, at halftime. I couldn’t believe we were losing. We finally got to him in the second half, but it was a struggle. He really kept them in the game.”

Afterward, a parent approached Vargas and asked were he was trained. It was the parent of the Laguna Hills’ goalie.

“That kind of took the sting out of losing,” Vargas said. “A little of it, anyway.”

For Vargas, there is no substitute for winning.

The Fighting Irish, who have a difficult schedule this season, started slow, but have not lost since Dec. 12.

All three of their losses came without Vargas, who had a minor injury.

Vargas is quick to point out that his defense has been a tremendous help. He said it is rare when an opponent comes unmolested toward the goal.

Still, he knows the bottom line.

“When we shut somebody out, the credit goes to the entire team,” Vargas said. “When we lose, it all comes back to me.”

Which is the way he likes it.