“We knew we had some size [advantages] in the box that we wanted to capitalize on and we were able to do that a little bit,” CdM Coach George Larsen said.
Larsen saw 6-foot-2 senior striker Reed Williams elevate over defenders draped on his chest and back to head Alex Mainthow’s long throw-in into the opposite corner of the net in the sixth minute for the difference in a 1-0 triumph
“We just felt that [winning balls in the air] was a place where we were going to get rewarded,” said Larsen, who knew the shorter Dons (31-1-1), who came in ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN Rise, might have trouble ascending with his No. 9-ranked Sea Kings (27-1-1).
Adding to the rarefied theme, it was only the second time this season a team had shut out the Dons, who came in having outscored teams 117-12. Santa Barbara had scored fewer than two goals only four times previously in 2009-10.
“We knew they were going to be really good,” Larsen said of the Dons, who posted 12 shots to the Sea Kings’ nine. “This is by far the best team we’ve played all year, certainly the best-coached team that we’ve seen. Their soccer was excellent and their individual pieces were very, very good.”
But ultimately, as many CdM foes have experienced this year, Larsen said, the Dons were defenseless against the aerial precision the Sea Kings display on corner kicks, free kicks and throw-ins.
“We’re very good on set pieces,” Larsen said. “People know that, but you can’t stop it. Unless you have a 6-2 guy, or four or five of them that can go up in the air with us, you’re going to get hurt. And we’ve been hurting just about every team we’ve played all season on set pieces.
