Beltran leads Banning to title

Top-seeded Wilmington Banning won its first City Section boys’ soccer championship since 1995 by defeating Woodland Hills El Camino Real, 2-1, on Saturday at Contreras High.

“We’re from an area that’s very poor, so this is a highlight of their life,” Banning Coach Frank Sandoval said after his team improved to 19-2-1.

Guillermo Beltran scored a goal and also had an assist for Banning.

El Camino Real (16-4-7), seeded 19th, sent several shots into the crossbar and goal posts but got a goal from sophomore forward Jose Velasquez in the 71st minute.

El Camino Real kept the pressure on for the final nine minutes but was unable to score the equalizer.

“I thought we played well, played hard, just a little unlucky,” Conquistadores Coach David Hussey said.

Beltran, who scored two overtime goals in a semifinal victory over Bell, put a right-footed shot from just inside the penalty area into the net in the 21st minute.

In the 64th minute, he passed to Luis Tejeda, whose shot hit the crossbar, then bounced down over the goal line.

The absence of a bus to take the El Camino Real girls’ soccer team to its championship game against San Pedro couldn’t stop the Conquistadores from winning their eighth consecutive title.

When the bus scheduled for 12:45 p.m. hadn’t arrived by 1:30 p.m., it was decided parents and coaches would drive the players to Contreras High, just west of downtown, for the 3:30 p.m. game, El Camino Real Coach Eric Choi said.

El Camino Real arrived about a half-hour later than it had planned, but the Conquistadores appeared unaffected. Megan Quinn scored in the first minute and El Camino Real went on to a 4-0 victory.

-- Steven Herbert