Warriors win SoCal Classic boys soccer tournament

Fallbrook High School's boys soccer team won the Dec. 27-29 Nike Southern California Classic tournament, and the Warriors outscored their opposition by a 17-1 margin during those five games.

"It was phenomenal to see the boys outperform in pool play but most impressive to see them reach the final and impose their game plan for most of the game," said Fallbrook coach Jorge Rojas.

In addition to the tournament championship, the five SoCal Classic wins gave Fallbrook a 6-2-3 record for the first month of the season.

"I think the boys are learning quickly," said Rojas. "The system of play is not as traditional as it has been. They're more than flexible. They're more than eager to learn."

This year's squad has 21 players, including 13 seniors and seven returning starters. Fallbrook began 2016-17 play with the Francis Parker Cup tournament, and the Warriors tied all three of their pool play games. Fallbrook had a 3-3 draw Dec. 1 against Bishop's at Francis Parker, a 2-2 tie Dec. 2 against University City at Patrick Henry, and a 1-1 draw

Dec. 3 against Bonita at Francis Parker.

"We took the three ties as room for improvement," said Rojas.

Patrick Henry was both the site and the opponent for Fallbrook's Dec. 5 tournament semifinal. The Warriors and Patriots had last played each other March 8, 2014, in the CIF Division III championship game which ended as a 2-1 Fallbrook victory.

"It was a nice little rematch to the last time we saw them at the CIF final three years ago," said Rojas.

Patrick Henry won the December 2016 rematch by a 2-0 score.

"It's really early in the season," said Rojas. "It's truly difficult to know how the team will develop."

Fallbrook and Patrick Henry are both in Division II for CIF playoff purposes this season, so the tournament game may have seeding implications for the Warriors and Patriots.

The Warriors' next game was Dec. 14, which was also Fallbrook's 2016-17 home opener. The Warriors hosted Vista, and the final score was 3-1 in Fallbrook's favor to constitute the Warriors' first victory of the season.

Fallbrook traveled to Oceanside High School for a Dec. 16 match and the Pirates were on the winning end of a 1-0 decision. The Warriors had no games during the week prior to Christmas.

"We took it as a strength and reconditioning week," said Rojas. "It had productive results. We went on a five-game winning streak."

Fallbrook began Nike Southern California Classic play with two Dec. 27 matches at Fallbrook High School. The Warriors recorded a 5-0 victory over Santana and a 6-0 triumph against Calvary Chapel Murrieta. Pool play continued with a Dec. 28 game against St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano at the Southern California Soccer Complex in Oceanside, and the Warriors prevailed by a 3-0 margin in that contest.

First place in pool play gave Fallbrook a Dec. 28 semifinal match against Yorba Linda High School at the Southern California Soccer Complex. A 3-1 victory advanced Fallbrook to the Dec. 29 final against Crawford at El Camino High School.

The game between Fallbrook and Crawford was scoreless in regulation, and neither team scored during two 10-minute field overtimes. The championship was thus decided by a penalty kick shootout, and the Warriors placed three of those shots into the net while the Colts scored twice in the shootout.

All four shutouts were recorded by sophomore goalkeeper Craig Alex Person, who is a first-year varsity player. The four starting defenders who assisted Person – outside left back Wyatt Rollins, inside left back Ulises Morales, inside right back Karlos Rubio, and outside right back Timothy Foster – are all seniors.

Starting center-midfielder Francisco Mariscal is a junior and is also a first-year varsity player. Carlos Chavez is also a starting midfielder, and Fernando Molina is an attacking midfielder. Fallbrook's starting forwards are Juan Castro, Yerry Mendez, and Manuel Pantoja.

If weather permits the Warriors will begin Valley League play with home games Jan. 17 against Escondido and Jan. 19 against Valley Center. Because the Valley League has only five teams this year, the Warriors plan to use a Jan. 26 bye date for an alumni match.