U-12 All-Star team tourney tough
Mike Sciacca
Laguna Beach’s AYSO boys’ under-12 Division All-Star team capped a
successful run in postseason tournament action by posting a 2-1-1
record in Area 11-L All-Star pool play competition.
The first three weekends of pool play ended with Laguna in first
place.
They opened the tournament with a 6-0 clubbing of Laguna Niguel,
with keepers Cody Duplisea and Jaimie Melchoir combining in goal for
the shutout.
Max Radach, Logan Lozano and Gabe Stansbury each scored two goals
as Laguna executed a powerful, crisp-passing offensive attack on host
Laguna Niguel.
John Ross Palfreyman and Noah Michelon controlled the midfield,
and the defensive efforts of Graham Harris, Billy Darnell, Johnny
Alvarez and Roy Herbert keyed the shutout.
In its second game, Laguna jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead over
Rancho Santa Margarita, but saw their tournament rival rally in the
second half to a 2-2 tie.
But Laguna bounced back to rip Lake Forest, 4-0, in a match that
nearly didn’t take place.
Laguna arrived 45 minutes before the game only to find no opposing
team, no chalked lines and no goal posts. Just 15 minutes before the
scheduled start of the match, Lake Forest arrived and both teams set
up portable goal posts and chalked the field, which Laguna went on to
own during match play.
Dashel Plesa played outstanding center defense in replacement of
the injured Darnell. Taylor Parks, Rafael Vickers and J-man Anderson
controlled midfield play from their halfback positions, which allowed
Radach, Stansbury and Lozano to work their passing game into four
goals.
Laguna’s bid to reach the tournament’s final four ended in a 2-0
loss to Mission Viejo’s A team in a match in which Laguna had nearly
15 shots on goal to their opponent’s eight.
The teams were scoreless at the halftime break.
Final pool play standings had Laguna tied with Mission Viejo with
25 points, but Mission Viejo advanced to the final four by virtue of
its head-to-head victory over Laguna.
The Laguna Beach boys’ under-12 All-Star team was coached by Doug
Anderson, Mark Michelon and Russel Radach.
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