Sea Kings best in O.C.

ALISO VIEJO — When you’ve won a CIF Southern Section Division IV title, come in having outscored teams, 77-13, and are ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN Rise, being handed the underdog label is a gift too good to waste.

Then JSerra, the CIF Southern Section Division I champion that played host to Thursday’s CIF Southern California Regional Division II boys’ soccer semifinal at Aliso Niguel High, decided to give Corona del Mar the gift that kept on giving.

“We were beyond fired up,” said CdM sophomore goalkeeper Connor Gaal after he made big saves and senior Reed Williams scored two goals to help spark the visitors’ 3-2 victory.

The win helped CdM (26-1-1) become the final Orange County boys’ team playing. The Sea Kings face Santa Barbara (31-0-1) in the regional final Saturday at 1 p.m. at Warren High in Downey.

But the mythical Orange County crown was just one of many sources of inspiration for the Sea Kings Thursday.

Others motivating factors were out of JSerra’s hands, while yet more bulletin board material came from the hands of JSerra junior varsity players, in the form of boastful assertions on a social networking website.

“They were talking before the game on Facebook and we just wanted to show them that we were better than them; that we were the best team in Orange County,” Gaal said.

Gaal, who played with some JSerra junior varsity players in junior high, said he and one other teammate were the recipients of the electronic taunts, one of which reportedly said Williams, who leads Orange County with 31 goals, couldn’t start for the Lions.

“[Coach George Larsen] didn’t even have to talk to us, we were so fired up for this game,” Gaal said. “We just wanted to come out and attack them.”

Attack they did, though the Lions (25-4-3), who came in having outscored foes, 67-23, answered to seize the lead and force the Sea Kings to rally.

The UCLA-bound Williams, who is sure to be Southern Section Division IV Player of the Year, but was informed Wednesday that he lost one newspaper’s Orange County Player of the Year honor to JSerra junior Juan “Crabby” Gutierrez, capped that rally with his second goal of the game in the 66th minute.

Williams took an artful lob over defenders from senior reserve Ryan Contra and walked in on charging goalkeeper Kyle Pierce. Pierce managed to block the first shot, but Williams directed the rebound into an open net to finalize the scoring.

Williams erased a 2-1 deficit in the 32nd minute, when he flicked in a Jack Gorab free kick with the back of his head.

CdM opened the scoring on a header, when Mason Case finished in the 15th minute. Greg Allen served a free kick from beyond midfield into the 18-yard box, which caromed off a JSerra defender. Case was there to direct it backward into the net.

JSerra converted a penalty kick after a foul in the box in the eighth minute, then scored 72 seconds later when Gutierrez fielded an errant CdM pass and set up Dylan Seedman for a breakaway goal from 25 yards out to give JSerra temporary bragging rights.

The Lions also failed to endear themselves to Larsen with a physical style of play that resulted in several hard tackles and frequent interruptions in play, due to fouls called on both teams. Yellow cards were assessed to two players on each team.

“The game turned ugly for a little while,” said Larsen, who made no secret of his disdain for what he called JSerra’s exhibition of the dark side of soccer. “I was happy that our boys kept their composure and showed class throughout the match.

“[The Lions] were exactly what I thought they were.”

Williams said he and his teammates entered the game with a chip on their shoulders. For Williams, who has 12 assists this season, there was a desire to win the individual duel with Gutierrez (who finishes with 22 goals and seven assists).

“I wanted to prove myself,” Williams said. “I found out [Wednesday] that he was Player of the Year [in Orange County] and the JSerra Coach [Davor Fabulich] was Coach of the Year.”

The perceived sleight to Larsen also motivated the Sea Kings, who unfurled a hand-painted banner after the game proclaiming they won this one for Larsen, their “Coach of the Year.” Larsen said he didn’t do much coaching Wednesday.

“After the trash-talking, it wasn’t hard for our boys to show up and get motivated,” Larsen said. “I didn’t even give a speech before the game. This was a pride match. I would have liked for it to just have been about the two top teams in Southern California, but they just didn’t allow it to go there. It became something else. The boys were not going to lose this game.

“In a foolish way, [the Lions] provided all the fuel we needed. I never got up [off the bench] the whole game. I did not coach one second and I did that for one reason: I did not need to. I said these boys were going to win it and win it on their own. They were going to prove themselves and that’s what they did.”

Among those proving themselves was Gaal, who dived to his right to punch away a low shot headed just inside the post late in each half for the two most dramatic of his five saves.

Midfielder Brian Ford, forward Jack McBean, and midfielder Chris Burke also stood out for CdM.