The Eastlake High School boys soccer team went undefeated during the delayed 2020-21 spring season, punishing opponents with a 15-0-1 regular season record and Mesa League championship.
But the postseason was not kind to the behemoth Titans, who surrendered a penalty kick in the dying seconds of their quarterfinal playoff match against seventh-seeded Calexico to suffer a 1-0 upset loss and extremely early exit from postseason play.
Eastlake head coach Giovanni Medina felt his juggernaut team, seeded second in the division, certainly deserved a berth in the San Diego Section Division II championship game, if not an outright CIF title.
Instead, the Titans had to watch from the sideline as fourth-seeded San Dieguito Academy fell to third-seeded Valhalla, 2-1, to claim the 2021 crown.
Eastlake returns 10 players off that celebrated — and snake-bitten — 2020-21 team. They’re hungry to complete some unfinished business. The Titans, however, now face increased challenges as the team moves up to Division I status this season.
“Everyone wants to beat Eastlake, whether it’s water polo or roller hockey,” Medina said.
The Titans will not match last season’s 15-1-1 record after scooting off to a 3-2-1 mark in their opening six matches of the new season. Monday’s scoreless draw at Hilltop on Monday exemplifies the increased competition Medina’s team will be encountering this season.
The Lancers have designs of their own, namely, to win this year’s Division III section championship, and Monday’s non-league match presented a stiff challenge to both teams.
The Titans carried virtually all of the territorial play in the first half, ceding it only in the waning moments of the second half when Hilltop began to find its second wind. When the final whistle blew, several Lancers lay on their backs on the field in sheer exhaustion.
It was a testament to Eastlake’s high energy tempo throughout the match.
“This is what a Division I versus Division III team looks like,” Hilltop head coach John Salts said.
The statement was praise for his team’s extraordinary resilience. The Lancers had delivered a message: they can play with the best around.
“It was in intense match,” Salts said. “I think we had them on their heels in the second half.”
Eastlake has shown resilience as well as the team seeks to recapture last season’s glory.
The Titans kicked off the season with a 2-0 win over Scripps Ranch on Nov. 30 as part of the Francis Parker tournament. Eastlake suffered a 3-1 loss to San Dieguito Academy in its next match on Dec. 1.
The Titans shut out West Hills, 3-0, in a non-league game on Dec. 3 and blanked University City, 3-0, in tournament play on Dec. 6.
The Titans drew a rematch with SDA in the tournament championship game on Dec. 8, losing in the penalty kicks-from-the-mark tiebreaker.
“We played them to a 2-2 tie (before the PK tiebreaker) after losing to them 3-1 the first time,” Medina said. “They’re one of the top teams, either in the Open Division or Division I. We have high expectations, defending our league championship, being in the CIF playoffs, winning CIF.”
Senior Cole Friesen, son of SDSU women’s coach Mike Friesen, topped Eastlake in team scoring through five games with three goals and four assists for 10 points while classmate Ridge Owen ranked second with four goals and one assist for nine points.
The Lancers extended their season opening unbeaten streak to 4-0-2 with the deadlock against the Titans. Hilltop defeated Clairemont, 4-0, and played to a 2-2 stalemate against Metro Conference rival Bonita Vista last Saturday as part of the annual Grossmont Conference Holiday Classic.
Prep Scoreboard
Boys soccer
Saturday, Dec. 11
Southwest 1, Canyon Crest Academy 0
Steele Canyon 3, Bonita Vista 2
Southwest El Centro 2, Castle Park 1
Olympian 11, Castle Park 0
Girls soccer
Saturday, Dec. 11
San Marcos 2, Bonita Vista 0
Monday, Dec. 13
Cathedral Catholic 2, Eastlake 0
Olympian 4, San Yisdro 0
Bonita Vista 1, Carlsbad 0
Tuesday, Dec. 14
Eastlake 1, Granite Hills 1
Girls water polo
Thursday, Dec. 2
Mar Vista 16, Santana 15
Saturday, Dec. 11
Eastlake 11, Santa Fe Christian 8
Steele Canyon 9, Eastlake 7
Tuesday, Dec. 14
Hilltop 18, Olympian 7
Bonita Vista 15, Otay Ranch 6
