El Camino into first-ever CCS boys' soccer final with win over Menlo School

No. 3-seed El Camino (20-1-3) put on an absolute spectacle combining flair and precision to dance to a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Menlo School (15-2-4) Wednesday at Sequoia High School’s Terremere Field. With the win, the Colts go riding high into their first-ever CCS championship game to face No. 5 Serra Saturday at Valley Christian-San Jose at 12:30 p.m.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” said Ken Anderson, in his 24th year as El Camino’s head coach. “I’m excited. I’ve got goose bumps on top of goose bumps right now. … I’ve been doing this for 24 years now. That’s a long time. And I’ve only been in CCS twice — four times in school history — and now we’re going to be going to the CCS championship for Division II. I’m in trouble with my wife because it’s my birthday and she had planned a big trip. But it’s worth it.”

Prior to El Camino going full-tilt with the showmanship — stuttering stop-and-go dribbles to dance around defenders on offense, and individual players performing consecutive sliding tackles on defense, not to mention the all-out dribble-and-drive brilliance of senior striker Christian Marquez — Menlo had one early chance to take control with the game still scoreless.

In the fifth minute, the Knights found the back of the net on junior Billy Hamilton’s attempt from six feet back of the keeper’s box. But the attempt was nullified as Hamilton was called for a hand ball, giving possession to the Colts, who didn’t waste any time in capitalizing with a scoring play.

“We saw a good little scare in the beginning; luckily it was a hand ball,” El Camino senior Martin Hernandez said. “We just came up on top and we capitalized on that. We got our goal in and the motivation kept the intensity up from there.”

El Camino pushed right back and got a throw-in on the right side from senior Gabe Gonzalez, who connected with senior midfielder Ivan Vargas for a header. Vargas redirected the throw and put in on goal towards the Menlo keeper, who got a hand on it but could only slow it down as it flew in for the score.

Gaining a tempo and pressuring throughout the opening 30 minutes of play, El Camino got another tally midway through the first half. In the 23rd minutes, Christian Lupercio sent in a corner kick to senior Shayan Charalaghi, who wheeled with a high redirection kick from the heart of the penalty box to put the ball on goal. But it was junior forward Edgar Avila who scored it, guiding it in with a slight back-footed tap to give the Colts a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

“We came out in the second half with a little more energy,” Menlo head coach Marc Kerrest said. “I think we pressured them a little bit more. We got the goal to get us back in it and then a couple mistakes to give another goal. And then when we’re down 2 with 15 minutes left, it’s always going to be tough.”

In the second half, El Camino’s defense took turns showcasing its individual talents. And, if you listened really closely, it was almost as though you could hear the Harlem Globetrotter’s theme song “Sweet Georgia Brown” playing in the background.

In the 50th minute, with Menlo trying to gain a tempo, Hernandez produced two straight sliding tackles to thwart it, hitting the turf for one all-out runner before hopping back to his feet and chasing down another. Menlo still gained a free kick from 30 yards out on a yellow card to El Camino’s Francisco Martinez, but the Colts hunkered down and Hernandez cleared the threat with a booming punt.

Two minutes later, Colts goalkeeper Nate Deinla stepped into the spotlight. His first highlight wasn’t technically a save, but it was every bit as good as one. Menlo gained a 2-on-1 push with Ben Lasky looking to send a cross pass in to a wide-open Aaron Morgan. But Deinla timed the pass perfectly and, with his only hope on stopping a goal, used that timing to split the defenders and deny the pass.

Two minutes later, Deinla executed the play of the match — heck, maybe the play of the season. Hamilton looked to take back the score he missed out on in the opening minutes by flying on a route inside the post. He tattooed a shot high on goal toward the opposite corner, but Deinla left his feet for a leaping punch over the crossbar.

On the ensuing Menlo corner kick, it was Charalaghi’s turn for the defensive heroics, shutting down two tries at advances through the middle box, intercepting both, including the second with great leg extension while somehow stilling the ball and then booting it out of the danger zone.

“Both defensively and offensively, just everything, very good play,” Anderson said. “And that’s what it was going to take to beat a good Menlo team like that. Well-balanced … defensively, midfield, offensively, with one questionable mistake with a slide tackle in the box, pretty much a clean slate. And that’s what we needed.”

Menlo scored in the 60th minute on a Daniel Hausen penalty kick after the Colts were whistled for a tackle in the box. But El Camino’s “Team Christian” got the goal back in the 64th minute when Marquez came up with a flashy steal deep in Knights territory and sent a little cross in for Lupercio to seal the victory.

“It’s amazing,” Marquez said. “First time ever in the school’s history and, to be part of it, it’s something special.”