El Camino continues to roll

El Camino entered Friday’s against host San Mateo with only a 1-1 tie with Jefferson spoiling an otherwise undefeated record. The Colts had scored 34 goals while allowing only three as they have built a 7-0-1 record.

And Friday, they remained undefeated, added four more goals to their ledger and freshman goalkeeper Eduardo Espinoza posted his sixth clean sheet as the Colts shut out the Bearcats 4-0.

“I was nervous at work all day,” said El Camino head coach Ken Anderson, a 1986 El Camino graduate who has run the Colts’ program for the last 30 years.

“Historically, we haven’t done well here (at San Mateo). It was a big game for our division. San Mateo was right under us. Now we have a little more breathing room.”

Yes, El Camino (5-0-1 PAL Ocean, 7-0-1 overall) has opened up some space from third-place San Mateo (3-3-1, 4-5-1), but Half Moon Bay remains hot on the Colts’ heels, entering play Friday with a 5-1-1 mark in the Ocean Division.

It’s been a rough month for San Mateo. The Bearcats opened the season by winning three of their first four games. But since a 1-1 tie with Half Moon Bay Dec. 10, the Bearcats have dropped four in a row. It’s been more than a month since their last win, a 5-0 decision over Oceana Dec. 8.

“They’re a much better team,” San Mateo head coach Matt Shea said of the Colts. “El Camino … played good, team soccer and we played selfish soccer.”

El Camino started the game on the front foot and never let up until the final minutes of the game. The Colts have a core of scorers in senior midfielder Andrew Tafolla, sophomore striker Danny Figueroa Jr. and freshman midfielder/striker Manny Tafolla, but they have dangerous players all over the field.

Like junior Santino Francis, who was giving the Bearcats fits on the right flank, making several penetrating runs and working passing combination with the Tafolla brothers. Or center back Jordan Gomez, who scored the Colts’ fourth goal. A freshman goalkeeper is usually a dicey situation, but Espinoza handled the job with aplomb Friday, coming up with a couple big saves early in the second half.

Basically, the Colts have talent all over the field after graduating just three starters from last year’s division-winning squad.

El Camino’ Ayden Fernandez gave San Mateo its first taste as to what was in store as he ripped a shot from 35 yards out that whistled just wide of the goal — a shot that drew a “golazo” from a teammate. It was looking to be a spectacular long-range strike that narrowly missed in the fourth minute.

In the 13th minute, Fernandez pulled another shot just wide before the Colts got on the scoreboard in the 14th minute. The sequence was started when Figueroa ran down a pass and carried it up the left sideline. He pulled a pass back to the top of the San Mateo penalty box, where Manny Tafolla dummied the ball through his legs to a charging Andrew Tafolla.

After gaining control of the ball, Andrew Tafolla found Emilio Jimenez in the middle of the penalty box, feeding him a perfect pass that Jimenez snuck inside the left post to put the Colts up 1-0.

Technically, San Mateo was credited with a goal, but it was one no team wants. About 10 minutes from halftime, El Camino’s consistent pressure resulted in a second goal. The Colts earned a corner kick and the ball was partially cleared. But El Camino won the ball back and eventually worked the ball back to the right side where Andrew Tafolla, from the right corner of the penalty box, hammered a shot that deflected off a Bearcats defender and ricocheted into the back of the net for an own goal to put the Colts up 2-0 at the break.

The Bearcats came out much more aggressive to start the second half, taking a shot off the kickoff that forced Espinoza into a save. In the 42nd minute, San Mateo had its best chance to score. The Bearcats earned a free kick 35 yards from goal. Nick Leal stepped up and put a shot on goal that Espinoza couldn’t quite get to — but it banged off the crossbar and dropped down.

A San Mateo player put the ball back into the mixer where Jeongwoo Park got off a weak shot that made it through traffic that was saved by Espinoza to keep San Mateo off the board.

Minutes later, it was 3-0 as the Colts converted on a corner kick. Andrew Tafolla sent a hard cross to the near right post where Figueroa was stationed and who headed it home.

Gomez then rounded out the scoring by converting another Andrew Tafolla corner cross in the 64th minute.

“This shows soccer hasn’t fallen off (at El Camino),” Anderson said.