Downey, Warren bring home CIF championships

DOWNEY - The Downey High School girls' soccer team has done it again. The Lady Vikings are the 2013 C.I.F. Division II champions. Last year the Lady Vikings won the Division V title against La Serna 2-1 in extra time and this year they dominated Quartz Hill 3-1 to raise the plaque, again.The score was 0-0 at haltime and Quartz Hill controlled the possession game. Coach Godfrey and her staff made some adjustments at halftime and the Lady Vikings came out of intermission with a different look. Elizabeth Hamm scored the first Lady Viking goal in the 51st minute when she took a cross from Janeth Acuna and placed it in the back of the net. Freshman standout Tara Kazimi scored the second Lady Viking goal just a few minutes later, making the score 2-0 and giving Downey some needed breathing room. The Quartz Hill Lady Rebels scored their lone goal of the game in the 71st minute and brought the score to 2-1. That was as close as they would get, however. The Lady Vikings added an insurance goal from senior Liliana Frasca with two minutes left in the game to secure the win. With the win on Saturday afternoon, the Lady Vikings advanced to the Southern California Regional Division I tournament. The Lady Vikings defeated top seeded Long Beach Wilson at Downey on Tuesday 0-0 (4-3 on Pk's) to advance to the semifinal round. The Lady Vikings played fifth seeded El Camino Real (19-4-3), the L.A. City Section champion, at El Camino Real Thursday (score unavailable at press time). The finals are set for tomorrow at Warren High School. Downey's record now stands at 24-4-2. Number one seeded Long Beach Wilson's record fell to 22-4-4. WARREN The Warren High School boys' soccer team is the 2013 C.I.F. Divison II champion. The Bears defeated an overmatched Loara squad 3-1 on Saturday night at Justice Stadium. The Bears were solid and controlled the pace of the game from the onset. The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Brian Montano scored on a kick to the lower-right corner of the net with 13:05 remaining in the first half. The Bears led 1-0 at the intermission and were clearly controlling the possession game. The Bears took a 2-0 lead six minutes into the second half when Bear captain Nathan Castillo scored on a free kick. The Bears led 3-0 with 28:26 remaining when Bear cross-country standout Ramiro Santana redirected a corner kick into the back of the net. The Bears attempted to go ahead 4-0 with 19:15 remaining when cross-country standout Fortino Santana was fouled in the box and Warren goalkeeper Christopher Dominguez took the penalty kick. Loara goalkeeper Juan Carlos Ramirez stopped Dominguez's kick and kept the game at 3-0. Loara scored their only goal with 18:21 remaining when Saxon striker Noel Gonzalez found the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Saxons, the game had pretty much been decided. With the win, the Bears won the C.I.F. Division II title and qualified to play in the Southern California Regional Division I field against San Diego section champion La Costa Canyon at La Costa Canyon. The Bears lost a heartbreaker to La Costa Canyon 2-1 in extra time on Tuesday evening. Fortino Santana scored the lone Bear goal. As a result of this loss, Warren's season is now over. The Bears finished their championship season with an overall record of 11-9-9 and a league record of 4-2-4. Coach Pena said he is extremely proud of his team and their resiliency throughout a challenging season. The Bears will certainly be the hunted once again next year. Congratulations to Coach Pena and his team for an exciting run through the playoffs and their C.I.F. Division II championship.

********** Published: March 7, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 47