Capistrano Valley Loses Heartbreaker in CIF Boys Soccer Final

 In a wild finish, Cory Hodge’s header on a throw-in from Brennen Carter at 4:28 of overtime gave Claremont a 3-2 victory over Capistrano Valley and the CIF Southern Section Division 2 boys soccer championship Saturday night at Mission Viejo High.

It is the second CIF boys soccer championship for Claremont (21-1-5), the last one coming in 1994. The Wolfpack won three of four playoff games in overtime. For Hodge, a senior defenseman, it was his eighth goal of the season and third in postseason, but more importantly his second straight “Golden Goal” after scoring with two minutes left in the second overtime period to defeat M.L. King in the semifinals.

However, the Cougars (16-6-7), who were making their first CIF title appearance since 1982, won’t be remembering the goal that Hodge score. Instead, they will be haunted by the goal that was called good, then no good, just three minutes earlier.

With Claremont leading 2-1, Felix Espinoza was injured with less than a minute left in regulation and replaced by Kyle Smith. Luis Vasquez took the free kick near the 40 yard line and centered it to Smith, who headed the ball off another player and past Wolfpack goalkeeper Jake Teagle with 43 seconds remaining to tie the score. It was just the second goal scored by Smith this season.

The Cougars got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff by Claremont and Mario Soto, who led the team with 16 goals this season, appeared to have scored on a low line drive. But the horn sounded just a split second before the ball crossed the goal line.

In overtime, Capistrano Valley appeared to score at the 7:42 mark on another header as the linesman raised his flag and the Cougars poured onto the field. But the linesman then ruled that Smith was offside, even though it appeared that one of the Wolfpack defensemen was standing on the goal line when the shot was made.

“He ruled offside but he couldn’t see the man standing on the line because of the post,” fumed Cougars coach Jason Sorrell. “[Cougars captain] Ben Manko ran over to tell the linesman that, but he wouldn’t listen. I can’t take anything away from Claremont, they played a good game. But [our players] did everything they could and they got robbed. The referee allowed the goal first then called it off.”

Claremont coach Fred Bruce-Oliver said he also thought the game was over.

“I thought it was the clincher [for them] when that flag went up. Then to come back and win the game like that, I don’t think this can take it anymore,” said Bruce-Oliver, placing his hand over his heart and his lucky 1994 CIF championship T-shirt that he wore under his shirt. “The guys just believed in themselves.”

Claremont took the lead just 2:20 into the match when Stephen Barba scored on a header on a free kick by Hodge. It was Barba’s first goal of the season. The score stayed that way through the first half as both teams got a bit chippy. The Cougars were whistled for four yellow cards and the Wolfpack two within a 16-minute frame, and both teams sustained bloody injuries, Russell Donaldson to his nose for Claremont and Manko on the back of his head. Both players returned to the game.

Capistrano Valley tied the score, 1-1, at 63:59 when Hodge was called for a hand-ball on a pass by Vasquez and Kevin Baboiyan made the penalty shot. But the Wolfpack took the lead right back nine minutes later on a counter-attack goal by Carter.

Even after the overtime goal by the Cougars was disallowed, they appeared to still have the momentum when Donaldson was given a red card after his second yellow. But the Cougars didn’t get an opportunity to take advantage of the Wolfpack being a player down as Hodge scored 31 seconds later.

“We had a fantastic season,” Sorrell said. “I think right now our players are more stunned than anything else. It was just a shame it had to end like that.”

However, one Cougars player felt it was more of a new beginning than an ending.

“We got one called back at the end of regulation and we got another called back in overtime, but that’s soccer,” Baboiyan said. “It’s a beautiful game because it can all change in an instant.

"We all stuck together and we really believed that we had the best team. I’m only a sophomore, but I think this is really the start of something big here. Our team is different. We’ve come back all year and we’ll do it next year.”