A sweet semifinal sweep
Tokay advances to D1 boys soccer title game
EL DORADO HILLS — Same result but a different Tokay High boys soccer player.
This time, Tiger halfback Jeffrey Orozco came through on penalty kicks to help No. 6 Tokay defeat No. 2 Oak Ridge 7-6 in a shootout in Tuesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal game at the Trojans’ field. The game was tied 1-1 after regulation and two overtime periods.
The win moves Tokay (14-2-3) into Saturday’s D-I title game against No. 1 Jesuit, which defeated No. 4 Turlock 3-0 in Tuesday’s other semifinal. According to Will DeBoard, the section’s assistant commissioner, a decision will be made today as to whether the Tokay-Jesuit game will be played at Liberty Ranch High or Whitney High of Rocklin. Oak Ridge finished its season at 15-1-4.
“It’s crazy,” said Orozco of Tokay going to the title game.
On top of that, both Tokay and Jesuit have automatically earned California Interscholastic Federation Regional Soccer Championship berths. The CIF NorCal playoffs are scheduled to start March 3.
Last year, Jesuit beat Tokay in a D-I quarterfinal game at the Marauders’ field in Carmichael. Jesuit also won in 2018.
On the 13th overall attempt in the second round of penalty kicks and the contest knotted at 6-6, Tokay and Oak Ridge prepared for a thrilling finish. At the north end of the Trojans’ field where the penalty kicks took place, Orozco eyed the Trojans’ net. Taking the kick, Orozco lined it high, hitting the middle and top of the net and dropping past the Oak Ridge
goalie for the winning goal.
“I was kind of nervous,” Orozco said. “I positioned myself to make it seem like I was going to go to the right side. But I just positioned myself to put it down the middle.”
Then Oak Ridge’s Tyler Perkins had his chance to tie the game, facing Tokay goalie Jorge Quiroz. Perkins’ shot went outside of the net. That set off a wild celebration on the Tokay sideline near midfield of winning the game.
“Only the post-season,” said Tokay coach Ruben Gomez on his team practicing extra on penalty kicks. “The order that the kids that went in, they played. They made their shots.”
Prior to Orozco making the game-winning shot, Quiroz, along with Tokay teammates Jose Contreras and Humberto Lujan, had made their penalty kicks in the second shootout. Oak Ridge’s Hunter O’Connell, Alex Carpignano and Gaelen Filtzanidis made their goals before the miss.
In the first round of the shootout, Tokay’s Eric Cahue, one of the team’s three goalies along with Quiroz and Jorge Orejel, scored goals. Anthony Quiroz, Alexis Ceja and Quiroz also had goals.
In the first two overtime periods, Tokay had possession of the ball near the Trojans’ net most of the time. Almost a half-dozen shots on goal were taken, but the shots were too high or rolled out of bounds.
Defense was the story in the second half for both teams. The only difference is that Tokay adjusted to the Trojans’ fast-paced attack, and had better chances with shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of regulation.
Oak Ridge tied the game at 1-1, just 30 seconds after Tokay’s scored its goal. Ben Alquist, battling his own Trojan teammates and some Tokay players, were inside the box and found an opening in the corner at the south end of the field.
Contreras scored the Tigers’ only goal in regulation in the 39th minute. Taking a shot 20 yards away from the Trojans’ goal, Contreras fired the cross-field shot into the back of the net for a shortlived 1-0 lead.
In the D-I playoff opener at Hubbard Field on Feb. 18, Tokay beat Davis High of Davis