LBCC Wins SCC Men's Soccer Tourney Title

Release by Robert Lewis, SCC SID
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FINAL SCC MEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS

Two third-place teams battled it out in the South Coast Conference Men's Soccer Tournament championship game as #4 seed Long Beach City College won the crown, edging #6 seed Los Angeles City, 1-0, in the tourney first-place final at El Camino College on Thursday night. 

Joel Mata headed in a purposeful lead kick into the box by Julian Zarate in the 90th minute for the game-winner that set off an emotional celebration for the Vikings. 

Long Beach (16-3-3) is tied for the state lead in wins with Santa Monica and could possibly have the #1 seed in the SoCal Regional Playoffs despite taking third in the SCC South Division race. The Vikings advanced to the tourney finale, tying Cerritos, 1-1, but winning the subsequent penalty kick shootout, 6-5, thanks to Zarate's score in the extra round.

LA City (11-7-5) advanced all the way to the final thanks to a 2-1 upset over Mt. San Antonio in the tourney's first round on a goal by Quetzalcoatl Tlatenc with a minute left. The Cubs followed that by tying El Camino, 0-0, in the semifinals, but advancing to the final via the penalty kick shootout, 5-4, on a shot by Julian Carrillo in the final round. 

THIRD PLACE FINAL: Cerritos 4, El Camino 3--In a physical affair that featured 27 fouls and eight yellow cards issued, the Falcons (13-2-5) used two goals by Erick Velasco to break a 2-2 tie late in the second half to grab the tourney's third place trophy. ECC's Aldahir Rua had tied it at 2-2 in the 61st minute, but despite a 14-2-4 regular season the tourney was a disappointment for the host Warriors. 

Note--The SCC Tournament is not a winner-take-all format for the conference division titles that are decided by the 9-game SCC regular schedule.

For the second straight season, state #1-ranked El Camino won the SCC South Division title, but had a tougher route than its 3C2A state champion run of a year ago. The Warriors were 7-1-1 in conference play and overcame being upset by Compton, 1-0, in the SCC opener while staving off state #6-ranked Cerritos (6-0-3) by one team point, 22-21, to take the South crown.

Mt. San Antonio posted its eighth consecutive SCC North Division title with a 6-2-1 mark against all conference squads. It was the 18th in the program's SCC history. The state #4-rated Mounties (14-3-4) had the third most team points in the entire South Coast, but geograpy benefited them in being in the North as it won the division despite losses to both South's El Camino and Cerritos in the 9-game, SCC season.

Other SCC Tournament Place Games, Nov. 12

FIFTH PLACE FINAL: Mt. San Antonio 5, Pasadena City 0: Alex Carmona and Moises Prado scored goals in the opening 15 minutes as the Mounties stormed to the the tourney win. Lancers goalie Rayshon Roberts totaled eight saves. 

SEVENTH PLACE FINAL: Rio Hondo 2, Compton 1--Johan Luna scored two goals in a 5-minute span late in the first half as the Roadrunners defeated Compton. Edson Castro had given Compton a 1-0 lead on a goal in the opening minute. The game featured seven yellow cards. 

NINTH PLACE FINAL: East Los Angeles 0, LA Harbor 0--The Huskies take the obligatory higher place thanks to winning the PK battle, 3-0, as goalie Angel Martinez made three saves in the round of five. Seahawks goalie Guy Tretiyakov had four saves in the regulation 90 minutes for the official season-ending tie for both teams. 

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SEVEN SOUTH COAST TEAMS LIKELY TO ADVANCE TO POSTSEASON

If the power points are any indication, the SCC may produce seven playoff teams with Long Beach now #1 in the state and region with a 2.43 rating, then regionally El Camino is #2 (2.38), Cerritos #3 (2.31), Mt. SAC #6 (2.195), LACC #8 (2.01), Pasadena #14 (1.88), and Compton tied with Desert at #21 (1.70). This season, 24 teams advance to the SoCal Regional Playoffs that begin on Nov. 20.

With final games of the regular season throughout the region in other conferences today, the ratings could change seed spots. 

The seedings will be announced by the 3C2A by Monday, Nov. 18.