Fullerton’s boys soccer team went 8-2 in the Freeway League this season.
The losses were to Sunny Hills 1-0 and 2-1.
The team is hoping for another chance to play the Lancers.
“We want to play them again,” said Fullerton coach George Shumaker, “if we can get through.”
To “get through” would mean advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game.
Fullerton and Sunny Hills, which went 10-0 in the Freeway League, are on opposite sides of the CIF-SS playoff bracket for Division 1.
Fullerton (18-4-2) plays its Division 1 quarterfinals match Wednesday at 5 p.m. at home against top-seeded JSerra (14-1-1).
If Fullerton beats JSerra, its semifinals match Saturday would be against the winner of Wednesday’s Servite-Montclair quarterfinal. Servite (15-4-3) is the defending Division 1 champion.
The Division 1 final is Feb. 25 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.
Shumaker is in his 30th season coaching Fullerton soccer. He has had many good teams, and got his 350th win this season, but he hasn’t had a CIF championship team. Freeway League schools La Habra, Sonora and Sunny Hills have won CIF-SS boys soccer championships, including Sunny Hills’ Division 3 championship last season, but Fullerton has not. It last appeared in a boys soccer final in 1981 when it lost to Capistrano Valley 3-2.
Fullerton senior striker Kenneth Flores likes his team’s chances.
“JSerra has a really strong team,” Flores said. “We have a strong team, as well. Our whole team is playing very hard, with a lot of heart and a lot of intensity.”
Flores is Fullerton’s offensive leader with 23 goals and eight assists. Junior midfielder Aiden Bengard has 12 goals with eight assists. The top contributors include senior defenseman Christian Chavoya and senior goalkeeper Declan Campbell.
Fullerton, which beat Godinez 2-1 in the Division 1 first round, has allowed only 14 goals and has 12 shutouts.
“We’ve had a fortunate year,” Shumaker said. “We’ve been…
Read the full article here
