CdM battles Dons

A Corona del Mar High boys’ soccer team that relished the underdog role Thursday, will have it again today, when the Sea Kings meet Santa Barbara in the Division II final of the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs at Warren High in Downey. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

CdM (26-1-1), ranked No. 9 nationally by ESPN Rise, is the CIF Southern Section Division IV champion, its first section crown. The Sea Kings have won 14 straight since sustaining their only loss, a 1-0 setback to Pacific Coast League rival University on Jan. 15.

They defeated Southern Section Division I champion JSerra, 3-2, in the regional semifinal Thursday at Aliso Niguel High.

The Dons (31-0-1), ranked No. 2 by ESPN Rise, are the CIF Southern Section Division II champions. The only blemish on their record is a scoreless tie against Channel League rival Dos Pueblos on Jan. 12.

Santa Barbara has outscored opponents, 117-12, and has 21 shutouts. The Dons have yielded more than one goal only once — a 5-2 win over Buena in the regular-season finale.

Santa Barbara, which claimed the program’s sixth section crown this season, has outscored regional playoff opponents, 7-0, and has three straight shutouts.

“As soon as the season opened, they were one of these highly touted teams and they’ve done nothing to let on that they are not as good as people thought they were,” CdM Coach George Larsen said of the Dons.

CdM has outscored its opponents, 80-15, this season and has 16 shutouts. But after having allowed more than one goal only once in its first 26 games (a 4-2 win over Segerstrom on Dec. 4), CdM has surrendered two goals in regulation in each of its regional playoff wins. The Sea Kings needed penalty kicks to get past Castle Park of Chula Vista in Tuesday’s regional playoff quarterfinal.

The Sea Kings are paced by senior UCLA-bound striker Reed Williams, who has 31 goals and 12 assists. He scored twice against JSerra.

Freshman forward Jack McBean has eight goals and 11 assists, while junior midfielder Brian Ford has 11 goals and four assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Connor Gaal has been a standout, operating behind a strong back line of sweeper Greg Allen, stopper Alex Mainthow and fullbacks Jack Gorab and Matt Francini.

Santa Barbara has three big scorers, led by senior midfielder and captain Jesse Gonzalez, who has 21 goals and 17 assists. Senior forward Christian Pardo has 22 goals and five assists, while sophomore forward Alfredo Ibarra has 15 goals and six assists.