High School Spotlight: TORREY PINES VS SCRIPPS RANCH in the CIF OPEN DIVISION SEMIFINAL
American high school soccer offers an exhilarating environment for family and friends to enjoy the world’s favorite sport.
Youth Soccer News: High school soccer is more than a sport. High school soccer is an experience that is shared by a community and is remembered long after the final whistle is heard.
The strong sense of shared school pride at the CIF Playoffs is experienced in communities far and wide.
This week, the Falcons of Scripps Ranch scored the first goal against their local rivals, the Falcons of Torrey Pines High School in the CIF Open Division Semifinal but the potential victory quickly slipped away in the second half.
Although the teams went into halftime with Torrey Pines down 1-0, the match was more of a battle than a game.
The Scripps Ranch goal inspired their opposition, galvanizing them into action. The No. 1-seeded home team, Torrey Pines, came alive in the second half, flying into high speed and began controlling the action after the coach’s half time talk.
Torrey Pines won the semifinal match with a final score of 5-1.
Despite the talents of Scripps Ranch goalie Alex Lawson, the ball found the back of the net repeatedly.
“In the first half, we didn’t do the simple things well,” said Andy Hargreaves, Head Varsity Coach at Torrey Pines. “At halftime, I reminded the team what they have done to be effective all season. They just needed to remember how good they are.”
Once the scoring started, their confidence came back.
Joel Kosakoff, Assistant Coach at Torrey Pines said, “I knew the team was going to win because the boys come through all year. We lost our first game of the season and have never lost since.”
“Even when we have been down in games, we never gave up, so I never doubted we would win,” said Kosakoff.
“High school soccer gives players a deep sense of camaraderie and it is great to be with your buddies and to play for your school,” said Kosakoff. “It is the same reason I am coaching here. I went to this school and it is great to come back and coach. We all have fun coming back and giving to the community. The support from the parents and the students is great.”
“There is a great value to high school soccer,” said Hargreaves who has 20 years experience as Head Coach and a proven track record of TPHS Championships and tournament wins. “These players have grown up together and the chemistry on and off the field is really good.”
This match was a great example of the joys of high school soccer. While the next generation of professional players may be training in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA), high school soccer is an exhilarating experience shared by players, parents, coaches, students and the entire community — something DA games are certainly missing.
Torrey Pines’ last CIF championship came in 2012 and many hope that history will repeat itself tomorrow when the team takes on Point Loma in the final at Mission Bay High School at 7:30 PM.
Article corrected 2/24/19
