By Ed Piper
La Jolla was rated number 15 in the Division 3 Power Rankings, and Coach Pilar Flores said before the Senior Night Game Wed., Jan. 31, "We need to be 12 to get in the (CIF) playoffs" (which start in two weeks).
"That would mean win three of our last four games," the second-year coach slightly grimaced.
The Vikings, and other schools probably as well, have a tradition of starting all the seniors for their class night. It honored the future graduates, but there was a little drop in skill and intensity, if one can be brutally honest.
Abdul, Canyon Hills' star player (formally Amin Abdullah), scored with a header in front of the net after a corner kick in the 21st minute, and La Jolla found itself down, 1-0.
Before that, a rarity--certainly an oddity--occurred when the Rattlers' goalie was called for handling a ball outside of the black-lined box, which covers quite a bit of territory. His error came in mistaking the prominent white yard line for his boundary. The yard line striping is for football, not soccer. It could have easily happened to another goalie, but it hasn't.
The ball turned over to La Jolla for a free kick.
The Viking seniors and underclassmen working hard, 15 minutes later Canyon Hills scored again off a corner kick. Abdul did the honors, 2-0.
In La Jolla's game at a fenced-in Canyon Hills turf field (new last fall--the grounds still under remodeling) Jan. 12, the Vikings scored a late goal to break a 2-2 draw and win.
Right after the half, LJ senior captain Kyle Truscott scored on a long, arching shot from the sideline, 2-1.
Abdul, who had been active in the Jan. 12 game, completed his hat trick with a goal in the 38th minute of the second half. La Jolla went down, 3-1.
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