Crescenta Valley Defensive Lapses Open Door for Hart, 3-1

NEWHALL —  Lindon Pecorelli might be the best forward in the region, but the Crescenta Valley High senior didn’t receive much help Monday.

Critical defensive mistakes by Pecorelli’s supporting cast created opportunities for Hart, which posted a 3-1 nonleague victory at Hart.

“Nobody would help him out; this is like we played last year,” said Coach Bill Papagno of Crescenta Valley. “We try to feed Lindon and support him, but today we didn’t do that at all.

“We played terrible. They outhustled and outplayed us.”

Pecorelli eluded defenders at will, scrambling through gaps throughout the game, but his teammates failed to position themselves to create scoring chances.

Hart defended Pecorelli better in the second half, holding him to only one shot.

“He’s awesome,” Hart co-Coach Robert Ciccone said. “Every time he touched the ball, he created problems. We put Rafael Gonzalez on him and shut him down.

The Indians (3-0), who were missing three starters still playing with the Hart football team, had trouble shutting down Pecorelli.

But with the Crescenta Valley standout receiving limited support and defenders swarming him with every touch of the ball, his effectiveness dwindled as the game progressed.

“I know I can take them. I just can’t do it every time,” said Pecorelli, who has seven goals in four games and has narrowed his college choices to UCLA or Connecticut. “When I needed help, [my teammates] weren’t there.”

Crescenta Valley (3-1) took a 1-0 lead, but Hart soon began to capitalize on defensive miscues.

In the eighth minute, Falcon defender David Peterson misjudged a cross in the air. Peterson’s header skipped off the back of his head and fell to the feet of Indian forward Oscar Mendez, who slipped a shot past goalkeeper Mike Beerer to tie the score, 1-1.

In the 24th minute, Beerer charged out of the goal for a loose ball, but defender Kevin Hom called him off. At the last second, Hom shied away from the ball and it bounced to Hart forward Mike Caso, who headed it into the net.

“It was a miscommunication between the defense,” Caso said. “The ball was right in front of me and I just headed it in.”

Caso scored his second goal of the game on a corner kick from Mendez in the 37th minute.

Crescenta Valley’s goal came three minutes into play when Pecorelli weaved through four Hart defenders before dishing a cross to Brian Wright, who one-touched the ball into the net.