LJ b soccer 1, Poway 2 - Coronado Tournament - Season opener

Viking center midfielder Jesus Leyva (9) scurries

the ball upfield against Poway in season opener

in Coronado tournament Dec. 2.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

The weather was the topic of discussion by the coaches at the Coronado soccer tournament.

"I like the rain," said John Salts, in his 15th year coaching at Hilltop High. "It's part of the game." La Jolla will face Hilltop Thurs., Dec. 4, in the second day of the tournament.

Gene Morris, do you like the rain? "No," the 11-year coach at CIF power Poway High said. "It levels the playing field. The ball is slick. If you're good with the ball, it takes that advantage away."

Marcos Gonzales, new varsity coach at La Jolla? "It works. It's going to rain, so we have to make it work."

Gonzales, JV coach last year, was looking out at the dark afternoon skies Tues., Dec. 2, that had already dumped some precipitation during the first game of the doubleheader between Salts' team and Mount Miguel. Hilltop took that match, 2-0.

Against Poway, the Vikings started Alexei Sebald in goal, Alejandro Romano, Daniel Martinez, Cesar Hernandez, and William Curtis as backs, Gilberto Hinojosa, Jared Roberts, Jesus Leyva, and Lukas Keeling at midfield, and Sergio Martinez and Juan Viana as forwards.

Gonzales said he was looking for the midfielders to step up, mentioning "Leyva" and "Jared", the center mids.

"Honestly, I can say it's a good group of boys who can work together," said the first-year head coach before the game. "It's my first time working with them, but with trial-and-error we'll work it out." He also coaches La Jolla Impact.

Gonzales was fairly reticent to say too much before the season begins.

Poway, under Morris, is the two-time defending Palomar League champ. The Titans have won the league title seven times in Morris' 10 years. Last year, they tied Salts' Hilltop team in the annual Coronado tournament. Then, in the Open Division playoffs, Hilltop knocked Poway out, 3-2. Poway lost a key player to injury just before the playoffs.

So La Jolla has its work cut out for itself in this tournament against Open Division powers. Poway was seeded number one in the playoffs last year. "We like to play in these southern tournaments," said Morris before the game against La Jolla. "Otherwise we wouldn't get to play teams like La Jolla and Hilltop during the season."


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper