Huntington Beach boys’ soccer ties Los Amigos
Nonleague matches, generally, do not cause coaches to lose much sleep, but they do serve a purpose.
The Huntington Beach High boys’ soccer team played host to Los Amigos on Monday afternoon, a worthwhile test for the programs as both qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs last season.
The Oilers and Lobos finished in a 1-1 draw in the early-season contest at Cap Sheue Field. Slater Hammer scored for Huntington Beach, and Francisco Lopez had the goal for Los Amigos.
Huntington Beach (2-3-2) carried the play in the second half, outshooting Los Amigos (2-1-3) by a 6-1 margin. The Oilers held possession and pushed forward on the attack through the work of midfielder Justin Fujimori and offensively-activated defender Cody Thompson.
Liam Wilder had three scoring chances in the box, but only one was put softly on goal into the waiting arms of Lobos senior goalkeeper Oscar Vazquez.
In stoppage time, Fujimori sent a cross to Tyler Kakimoto, who evaded a defender with a misdirection dribble before setting up Wilder. The senior forward’s blast missed the mark, leaving the score tied before the final whistle sounded.
“We just have to finish what we create,” Oilers coach Sean Dick said. “You create so many looks, you should get a few more goals than we are getting.”
After getting off eight shots as a team in the first half, Los Amigos struggled mightily to connect passes after halftime. The Lobos managed a single shot, which Lopez missed wide of the nearside post in the 75th minute after having a ball played forward by Mauricio Rodriguez.
“The conditions, it’s really windy,” said Lobos coach Chris Sandro, whose team played against the wind in the second half. “That ball had a little spring to it. It was really hard to keep the ball at your feet. [I am] a little disappointed in our inability to find another teammate.”
It was evident that the Oilers kept their shape while playing with energy coming out of the locker room. Dick was pleased with the second-half effort, but he said the search continues to find the 11-man unit that will play together for a full game.
“Decision-making was the biggest one, communication and using the entire pitch,” Dick said of what he discussed with his team at halftime. “It’s what it came down to. We’re a very good team on build up when we play together. When we play kickball, we’re awful.
“That’s what we worked on, and it was obvious. Louis [Penaflor] didn’t have to make a save in the second half.”
Los Amigos struck first with a beautiful ball played forward from sweeper Brandon Alfaro to Lopez, who took a couple of touches before sending a shot past Penaflor in the 16th minute.
Alfaro’s presence in the defensive third of the field has been a big part of the Lobos’ success in the past couple of seasons. He has played out of position for the benefit of the team.
“I’ve always wanted to play midfielder because I feel like that is where all of the action is at, but I feel like I am better at sweeper,” Alfaro said. “I feel like I help out the team more.”
Los Amigos’ first-half goalkeeper Brandon Santos made three saves, while Vazquez stopped two shots in the second half to preserve the tie.
Penaflor made three saves in playing the entire match for the Oilers.
Huntington Beach drew even in the 23rd minute. Carson Dykes earned a corner kick when his left-footed shot was deflected wide. Will Macy took the set piece for the Oilers, sending the ball to the back post, where Hammer was able to head the ball in for a goal.
Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
