Saddleback Takes Golden West League Title

SANTA ANA —  Top-ranked Saddleback romped to its first Golden West League boys’ soccer title with a 2-0 victory Wednesday over three-time defending champion Santa Ana. The visiting Roadrunners (18-1, 9-0) have beaten sixth-ranked Santa Ana (14-6, 7-3) three times this season, once in the final of the Trabuco Hills tournament.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times,” said Saddleback Coach Mel Silva, who had a cooler of ice cold water dumped on his head after the game. “It’s even harder when a team knows you like these guys do. This is a real intense rivalry.”

But Silva admitted the game didn’t seem to have its usual intensity.

“I think us beating them twice maybe took a little away from it,” Silva said.

Santa Ana played Saddleback fairly even for most of the first half, but Saddleback scored in the 39th minute on a indirect kick from the 18-yard line by Alex Licea, who easily beat Santa Ana goalkeeper Danny Morales on a bullet in the left corner. Saddleback put the game away when Thomas Serna tipped in a perfect cross from Jose Retiz in the 50th minute. Serna’s goal was his county-leading 37th of the year.

Saddleback outshot Santa Ana 8-2 in the second half and 13-6 overall. Santa Ana assistant coach Sal Lopez said Saddleback’s league title was well-deserved.

“They’re real, real good,” Lopez said. “They score. We don’t. That’s the difference.”

Santa Ana went undefeated last year in the regular season and returned six starters. But the Saints lost leading scorer Juan Reyes to graduation.

“We just don’t have anybody that can put the ball away,” Lopez said. “I’ve tried [sweeper] Mario Gonzalez. I’ve tried everybody. Nothing seems to work.”

Saddleback, which will finish the season today with a makeup game against Westminster, will probably enter next week’s Southern Section Division I playoffs as the No. 2-seeded team.