Birmingham Wins With Zero Tolerance

Birmingham High, winner of the last three Northwest Valley Conference boys’ soccer titles, took its first step toward another Wednesday with a 5-0 victory over Granada Hills in a conference opener at Birmingham.

Sophomore midfielder John Ortega and senior forward Eric Reyes each scored twice and Adonay Jovel once for the Braves.

Jovel opened the scoring in the 17th minute, followed two minutes later by Ortega, who headed in a corner kick by Carlos Herrera.

Reyes scored his first goal in the 27th minute, pouncing on the ball in the Granada Hills’ penalty area after defender Tyler Malotte failed on a clearing attempt.

Seventeen minutes into the second half, Ortega blasted a 35-yard direct kick over a wall of Highlander defenders and under the crossbar.

Reyes closed out the scoring with 15 minutes to play, taking a low crossing pass from Juan Luis Herrera and tapping the ball into the net.

The Highlanders were outshot, 15-2, and squandered the opportunity to take a 1-0 lead when JonPaul Roepke kicked a penalty shot wide of the left post early in the match.