LJ b soccer 3, Castle Park 1

By Ed Piper

"We worked as a team. We touched (the ball) well," said La Jolla goalie Kevin Mojica after the Vikings came back from an early Castle Park goal to win its season opener, 3-1, Fri., Dec. 1, at home.

Mojica, who played the entire game in goal for Coach Marcos Gonzales's team, said he felt good about his saves and overall performance. "I kept our players in the game," he said when asked for a strength he saw in his play. He said he has improved from last year in "talking more" with his defenders in front of him.

After senior Manuel Guardado opened scoring with his shot for the Trojans, Viking striker Luis Goehler pounced on a ball in the 20th minute for the equalizer. He blasted his shot past Castle Park goalie Sebastian Certuche.

In the second half, La Jolla's Pablo Jativa--keeping Viking scoring to Europeans so far (Goehler is from Germany, Jativa from Valencia, Spain)--netted a goal in the 10th minute of the period.

Finally, midfielder Jack MacDorman scored on a penalty kick in the 32nd minute to seal the victory.

The contest was physical, with several yellow cards assessed by the referees, including one on La Jolla captain Marco Furlanis in the second half.

The 5'7", 150-pound Goehler, playing alongside his brother Nick, who is a defender, said of his goal, "They had a corner (at the south end of Edwards Field). We switched. Marco got the ball. I was at about the half-field line. He made a pass as I streaked toward the goal." Goehler, an 18-year-old with bright blue eyes, took Furlanis' pass from the right side at his spot coming up the middle.

Commented LJHS assistant coach Victor Zendejas, "We started off really slow. Once they scored, our energy came up.

"We had a good halftime talk. Our game is keeping the ball on the ground (which we did). The subs were great--Kenny, Noah Brown, and Nick Goehler."

Asked what he learned from the opener, Zendejas said, "What's hard about high school soccer, we put these guys together but they don't know each other. So at 4 o'clock today (the game started at 5:30), we had them take a walk down to Windansea, no coaches, just to spend some time together. It's a new thing we're doing."