Boys’ soccer: No doubt about it, Southland’s best league is the Trinity
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In only two years of existence, the Trinity League has established itself as the premier league in the Southland. This is probably true in most sports, but definitely in boys’ soccer.
The league was so competitive this season that Servite almost missed the playoffs. The Friars (21-4-3, 6-3-1), who spent most of the season ranked No. 1 by the coaches in the Southern Section Division I poll, needed losses by Orange Lutheran and victories over St. John Bosco and Mater Dei this week to advance to the postseason.
Good teams missing out on playoff berths is nothing new to Trinity coaches. Last year, Mater Dei, which began the season ranked No. 1 by StudentSports.com, failed to live up to expectations and failed to make the playoffs.
‘We addressed [how tough the league was] going into this year,’ Servite Coach Mike Lussier said. ‘We knew someone was going to get [left] out of the deal and we just hoped it wasn’t us.’
The Trinity League, like any other six-team league, is only assured three automatic berths. Santa Margarita, Servite and Mater Dei, in that order, are those three teams. Much like last year, Mater Dei is the surprise team of the season -- much to the dislike of Orange Lutheran fans, whose Lancers (14-7-4, 4-5-1) are left outside looking in.
If the Lancers were in another league, they probably finish their season as champions. They have playoff-worthy credentials. Their forward, University of St. Louis-bound Brent Hellesen, is the league leader in scoring with 24 goals, and their 14 wins is only surpassed by eight other teams in the division.
The Lancers have an outside prayer of making the playoffs, and Coach Steve Harder is holding out for hope. While it would be nice to see the Trinity League awarded four automatic spots in the playoffs, that’s simply not possible. What is possible, though, is the Southern Section scheduling a play-in game for Division I. It’s a long shot, but it’s the Lancers’ only shot.
Hopefully, officials do schedule such an extra game. Orange Lutheran has earned a chance to be in the playoffs, but it seems unlikely it will be.
The Lancers’ possible omission this season, and Mater Dei’s disappointing season last year, however, only make the Trinity League the one to watch.
-- Jaime Cardenas
-- Image from abcteach.com