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ORANGE — Orange Lutheran’s ascent as a boys soccer powerhouse continued Friday night with a golden goal and equally gleaming celebration.
Senior midfielder Xavier Alcantar scored on a penalty kick late in the second, sudden-death overtime period to lift the Lancers past visiting Harvard-Westlake 2-1 in a dramatic semifinal match in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at Orange Lutheran High.
Orange Lutheran, which captured the Division 4 title last season, immediately sprinted toward its fans in the grandstand following Alcantar’s winning strike. The players leaped onto the fence to relished their first trip to the Division 1 finals.
“It was just a great moment,” said Alcantar, who scored on a penalty drawn by senior forward Hector Arellanes. “(Our fans) have been supporting us through this whole journey. Just to be able to celebrate with them, and for them to also feel the passion that we have on the field, is just a great moment that we can all share.”
What a game! @OLu_Athletics 2-1 on penalty late 2nd OT! pic.twitter.com/U8giJkYt3J
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) February 17, 2024
Orange Lutheran (11-6-5) will face Trinity League rival and traditional power Servite in the finals Feb. 24. The third-seeded Friars beat Crossroads 5-0 in the other semifinal.
“It’s crazy,” Orange Lutheran coach Mike Oseguera said of his team’s leap to the Division 1 finals from Division 4. “That’s what playing in the Trinity League gets you ready for. We play the Mater Deis and the JSerras and the Servites six times a year. It gets you ready for these harden, battled games.”
With time nearly expired in the second, 10-minute overtime, Arellanes pounced on a ball that briefly got away from a defender. He dribbled against two defenders inside the Wolverines’ penalty box until being taken down.
“The whole year, I’ve drawn like six PKs,” Arellanes…
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