Poly a win away from first CIF title since 1999
LONG BEACH ❯❯ The Poly boys soccer team recently won two hard-fought penalty kick shootouts behind the strong play of senior goalkeeper Amir Diaz Espinoza on its way to the program's first appearance in a CIF Southern Section championship game since 1999.
“Amir has probably been our best player throughout the playoffs,” said Poly coach Eric Leon. “Whenever his name is called, he's come up with bigtime saves in games and he doesn't shy away from the moment.”
Poly (10-5-8) will play San Clemente (12-3-8) at Veterans Stadium for the CIF-SS Division 2 title on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie in a nonleague game on Dec. 2.
“We're very excited to host the championship in our backyard,” Leon said, before sharing that he's thankful for all of the community support his team has received during the playoff run.
The Jackrabbits, the Moore League's third-place team, earned their chance to compete for the program's first CIF-SS title in nearly 25 years by pulling off thrilling one-goal victories against Palos Verdes, Hesperia, Anaheim and Santa Monica over the past two weeks.
“Obviously, we didn't create a high enough standard with our regular-season record, but nevertheless all we needed was a puncher's chance in the playoffs and we're fortunate to be in the middle of the nice run that we're on,” Leon said. “It's been a grind. We've experienced it all so far.”
Leon said this year's playoff run is extra special for the team's upperclassmen who have played most of their high school varsity soccer careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that experience has made his team resilient in times of uncertainty.
“These kids have gone through it all,” Leon said.
“The pandemic broke some individuals and also made some individuals, and we are reaping the benefit of those individuals who benefited and preserved through those times. We rely heavily on our experienced players and all those experienced players, those juniors and seniors that went through that their freshman and sophomore years, so we're definitely matured, we're definitely peaking at the right time and we're playing the best ball all year and even in the moments where we're struggling and need to find some rhythm, we find a way to get out of those holes.”
Despite the possibility of rain and windy weather Saturday, Leon said he knows his Jackrabbits will be ready to make the most of their championship opportunity if they are anchored by their balanced offense and stout defense.
“Whenever the rain comes into play, a lot of traditional elements (of soccer) go out the window because the ball slips, the field is wet even if it's turf,” Leon said. “That's where having a guy like Amir can benefit us . ... But at the same token, we have to go with whatever elements we face because both teams have to deal with it.”