As winter sports begin to come to a close and spring seasons start, many teams will be hosting senior nights. That’s what the Coronado High School boys soccer team did on Feb. 6, moments before celebrating its final game of the regular season with a scoring onslaught.
Before facing off against Crawford High School, surrounded by friends, family and coaches, the Islanders honored team captains Noah Santos and Ethan Messner, along with the other seniors.
There wasn’t much going on in the first half, with both teams playing good defensively off the ball. Coronado had multiple chances for an early lead and each one slipped away.
Aiden Trieschman eventually scored the team’s first goal in the final minutes of the half, then celebrated by rowing an imaginary boat to the crowd’s amusement.
At half-time, coach Jeff Roe made strategy adjustments and motivated the team by reminding players to work hard. During the second half, a much different team played its best soccer of the season, scoring four more goals.
Omar Zurita subbed in and provided the biggest highlight – an assisted header – and he wasn’t done. After getting fouled by Crawford’s goalie, he struck a penalty kick for a goal to extend the lead to 5-0. The crowd went wild as the Islanders set a season high for scoring.
“Coming back from a two-year knee injury with two surgeries, I didn’t get to play much this season,” said Zurita. “So when I finally got subbed in, I gave it my all. Scoring and hearing the crowd cheer for me was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Coronado played their final game away at La Jolla High School on Feb. 12, winning 2-0, finishing the regular season 10-4-4 overall. Their 5-1-2 record in the City League put them in second place.
