Daily Pilot Boys’ Soccer Dream Team: Simple is beautiful for Fountain Valley’s Sebastian Rus
Things were going far from according to plan for the Fountain Valley High boys’ soccer team as the calendar advanced into the new decade.
The Barons left the Laguna Hills Hawks Invitational at 2-6 overall, having lost their last four matches.
It did not appear as though the schedule would be forgiving, either. Fountain Valley was set to begin Sunset Conference crossover play at Edison, which had just won the same tournament the Barons were swept out of.
Just when the season appeared to be unraveling for the Barons, when their patience was wearing thin and their resolve was being tested, a new plan of attack was being unleashed. Junior forward Sebastian Rus would have to go it alone at striker.
“I moved Sebastian to the lone striker, and what it did was it just made us more compact defensively,” Barons coach Jason Smith said of transitioning the team from a 4-3-3 formation to a 5-4-1. “We made it more of a counterattack team. We could only do that with a player like Sebastian.”
The move worked for Fountain Valley, and Rus, the 2019-20 Daily Pilot Boys’ Soccer Dream Team Player of the Year, led the way.
Rus scored 16 goals to go with eight assists for Fountain Valley this season. The Barons went 5-0-1 in the Wave League, winning the program’s first league championship since the 2007-08 season.
The Barons, who went 9-7-3 overall, had first utilized the 5-4-1 in their final match of the Hawks Invitational against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. Fountain Valley dropped a 2-1 decision against the Mustangs, who went on to reach the final of the tournament.
Looking to build off that outing, Fountain Valley ended its losing streak with a 2-2 draw against Edison on Jan. 3.
“That game against Edison was beautiful because everyone was fighting for each other, we all had a common goal, and we wanted the best out of everyone,” Rus said. “We happened to find the best formation for us that game. We played our hearts out, and unluckily, not winning the game, but so be it. It was our major turnaround, and we went undefeated the rest of [the regular season].”
The Barons concluded the regular season on a 10-match unbeaten streak, going 7-0-3 in that stretch.
Mater Dei broke through the defensive dam for Fountain Valley in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, defeating the Barons 6-1. Rus scored the lone goal for the hosts on a penalty kick in the first half.
“I am so proud of the way that we turned around our season,” said Rus, who was named the Wave League MVP. “I keep bringing [up] the [nonleague season] because it was such a major letdown for all of us. We knew that we were better than that.
“I’m going to miss this team. I’m going to miss the seniors that left. I’m glad to have won a title for them.”
With 43 goals in three seasons, Smith said that most teams know to account for Rus. Yet he still has ways of being effective.
“If you get the ball to him quickly, he’s going to use his size and strength to hold off players, and he does a good job of holding onto the ball,” Smith said of the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Rus. “Then he just gets the ball out wide to our outside fast guys and just go.”
Rus does not consider himself to be a fancy soccer player, although he could not resist attempting flashy aerial crosses when he was younger.
Growing up in Chicago, he had a mentor named Jakub Lisek, who was his youth soccer coach until the age of 12. The message was always to simplify the game.
“It’s been embedded in me since I started playing,” Rus said. “Soccer is supposed to be played simple. As simple as it can be, it can be beautiful. That’s the beauty of it.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ignacio Cid
Newport Harbor
In his second season at the helm, Cid guided the Sailors to just their second winning season in the last seven years. Newport Harbor (11-7-1, 2-4 in Surf League) got off to a hot start out of the gates, winning eight of its first 10 matches. Although the Sailors finished in last place in league play, their overall résumé got them into the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs, where they were able to take out Garden Grove League champion Santiago 1-0 in the first round before losing 2-0 to La Habra in the second round. Newport Harbor also earned a 2-1 win over Corona del Mar on Jan. 29, its first win in the Battle of the Bay series since Dec. 21, 2016.FIRST TEAM
Chase Marion
FW | Corona del Mar | Sr.
The Sea Kings offense was lethal in the attacking third with another left-footed striker leading it, just like Niko Urban the season before. Marion did not need much space to get his shot off, and he was clinical with the ball at his feet. The first-team All-Surf League selection provided 14 goals and five assists for CdM (11-8, 3-3), which tied with Los Alamitos for second place.
Francisco Lopez
FW | Los Amigos | Sr.
A repeat Dream Team selection, Lopez showed no signs of slowing down for Los Amigos (9-4-5, 6-2-2 in Garden Grove League) this season. He had 14 goals and five assists in just 14 matches before an ankle injury at Santiago on Jan. 24 sidelined him for the remaining four league contests. Despite the injury, Lopez’s talents were recognized, as he was named the Garden Grove League Offensive Player of the Year.
Marcos Arreola
FW | Estancia | Sr.
Estancia had gone winless in seven straight and been shut out in four in a row when Arreola returned from club soccer to join the Eagles on Dec. 16. Although wins proved hard to come by for the Eagles all season, they were far more competitive with him in the lineup. The senior forward scored 12 goals to go with six assists, helping Estancia (5-12-7, 4-2-4 in Orange Coast League) qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs by placing third in the league. Arreola shared the Orange Coast League Offensive MVP award with Saddleback senior forward Omar Hernandez.
Armand Pigeon
FW | Edison | Sr.
The numbers might not jump off the page for Pigeon, but Chargers coach Charlie Breneman said that the senior brought energy up top every match. The Surf League MVP pivoted between forward and attacking midfielder, producing nine goals and two assists for Edison (15-6-1, 4-2). Pigeon also had the walk-off penalty kick in Edison’s win over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the Laguna Hills Hawks Invitational title match.
Jack Starnes
MF | Newport Harbor | Sr.
Starnes was a dynamic playmaker for the Sailors in the midfield. Formerly a place kicker for the Newport Harbor football team, Starnes was an ideal choice to take set-piece opportunities for the Sailors. He finished the season with 13 goals and six assists, garnering the Surf League’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player award.
Marcus Henze
MF | Edison | Sr.
Henze demonstrated the determination and toughness needed to play through a back injury early in the season. He possessed a dangerous shot, as he could strike from well beyond the top of the 18-yard box. The first-team All-Surf League honoree finished the season with three goals and four assists.
Aidan Holmes
MF | Corona del Mar | Sr.
Sea Kings coach Damien O’Brien did not have to tell Holmes twice to shoot the ball when he got an opportunity to play forward. The Boston University-bound senior made his mark as a distributor, too. Holmes, a first-team All-Surf League selection, had five goals and 16 assists.
Jared Rhone
DEF | Huntington Beach | Sr.
Fountain Valley won the Wave League championship, but Huntington Beach (10-8-5, 4-1-1) remained in the hunt going into the second half of league play by virtue of a scoreless tie in the teams’ first meeting. The Oilers did not allow a shot on goal in the match with Rhone standing in the Barons’ way. The Wave League’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player helped the Oilers secure six shutouts throughout the season. Huntington Beach also beat Fullerton on penalty kicks in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs, keeping a clean sheet through regulation and extra time. Rhone had three goals and one assist as a senior.
Nick Morrell
DEF | Edison | Sr.
The Chargers lost center back Wyatt Burris, last season’s Daily Pilot Boys’ Soccer Dream Team Player of the Year, to graduation. Defense remained a strength for the Chargers, with Morrell and Ethan Van Buren clogging the middle at center back. Morrell, a first-team All-Surf League selection, scored two goals for the Chargers, who went on to win their fourth straight league championship despite dropping the first two matches of league play.
Carson Webb
DEF | Corona del Mar | Jr.
Nowhere were Webb’s contributions more crucial than in a second-place tiebreaker match against Los Alamitos for the last automatic CIF Southern Section playoff berth allotted in the Surf League. He headed the ball off the goal line in the 80th minute, assisting Nik Darrough’s nine-save effort in a 1-0 victory. Playing alongside fellow center back Zane Weaver, Webb and the Sea Kings allowed one goal or less in 10 contests this season.
Kyle Miller
GK | Marina | Sr.
A five-match skid to conclude Wave League play doomed Marina’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoff aspirations, but the Vikings were in the conversation for much of the season. Miller, a first-team All-Wave League honoree, was tested perhaps more than one would like, but he still recorded five shutouts this season. Marina (7-11-3, 1-5) held opponents to one goal or less on 11 occasions.SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
FW Damian Campos, Marina, Sr.
FW Jett Rocha, Laguna Beach, Sr.
MF Marco Castrejon, Costa Mesa, Sr.
MF Austin Pennella, Fountain Valley, Sr.
MF Kai Peterson, Edison, Sr.
MF Kevin Soltero, Newport Harbor, Jr.
DEF Brandon Alfaro, Los Amigos, Sr.
DEF Nathan Santy, Ocean View, Sr.
DEF Ethan Van Buren, Edison, Sr.
DEF Cantor Wright, Fountain Valley, Jr.
GK Daniel Kotkosky, Huntington Beach, So.
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