El Toro Boys Soccer Feels Summer Growing Pains

The game ended in a loss, but El Toro High School boys soccer coach Doug Franco still professed himself pleasantly encouraged by his team’s performance Wednesday afternoon that ended in a 0-1 loss to Mission Viejo.

It's been tough for Chargers varsity teams lately. The outgoing team in 2011 went winless in the Sea View League, winning just six games overall. The incoming team this summer tied twice in its eight games. 

In the final game of four weeks of Capo Valley Summer League play, the Chargers held their own against the Diablos, who were last year’s preseason favorite in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 and finished in the quarterfinals. The team played hard throughout the 70-minute contest, at times frustrating the Mission Viejo players.

A Danny Dixon-to-Blake Keane goal 32 minutes into Wednesday's match, glancing off the gloved hands of Chargers goalie Jorge Rivas, made the difference.

Both teams combined for only 13 shots on goal, including a missed penalty kick by Mission Viejo that clanked off the left post, and 13 saves.

Afterward, Franco said he witnessed improvements in his players, half of whom played on junior varsity last season, throughout the eight-game schedule. A single-elimination tournament, with teams seeded based on their win-loss records, begins Monday with four games at Capo Valley High School. 

“It was good to see our players out there against a good opponent. They did a good job,” said Franco, who is starting his third year as El Toro's head coach. A four-year letterman at El Toro, Franco graduated in 2003 and played soccer at UC Irvine before returning to El Toro five years ago as an assistant coach.

The Chargers lost nine seniors to graduation, including co-captains Collin Parker and Quintin McLamb, but they are strong in several key positions, particularly at keeper. Rivas (four saves) and Taylor Shannon (three saves) split halves in the net and both were tested at times, especially Shannon on the missed penalty kick by Asher Axe.

Rivas displayed great quickness and Shannon’s long kicks often gave the Chargers good field position to attack the Diablos' midfield defense. Both will be looking to fill the goaltending shoes of 2011 graduate Wesley Harris.

Jake Salvat had two of the Chargers’ six shots on goal against the Diablos sophomore Colin Smith, who also has played strongly in the summer league.

“It’s really about evaluation right now, not so much training and coaching,” Franco said. “We brought up a lot of guys from the JV team. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to stay [on varsity], but we wanted to see what we had. I think you’ll see a couple sophomores and two juniors on the team, but the rest are seniors. We have a lot to look at between now and then.”