Chaminade Victory Steals Spotlight

SIMI VALLEY — It was far from being the marquee game on the opening day of the Royal High boys’ soccer tournament, but the pool-play matchup Saturday between Chaminade and Newbury Park proved to be among the most dramatic.

Chaminade won, 2-1, despite being decimated by injuries and the loss of vacationing players. The Eagles (4-2-2), flattened hours earlier in a 2-0 loss to Arroyo Grande, kicked off against Newbury Park with 10 players and at times competed with only eight.

Newbury Park (4-4-2) played with the regulation 11 players, but was missing three starters.

Striker Chris Swatosh scored on a first-half penalty kick and split two Panther defenders 13 minutes into the second half to score again.

The final 20 minutes were played in near-darkness and almost entirely on Chaminade’s side of the field. Newbury Park launched a barrage of shots but could manage only a Pawel Gago goal with seven minutes to play.

“We told them they had to play defense first and that everyone had to be at the top of their game because we couldn’t [substitute],” said Chaminade co-Coach Mike Preis, whose partner, Jeremy Osborne, was ejected early in the second half for dissent. “This was awesome under the circumstances.”

Swatosh, whose 10-minute absence to tend to a bloodied nose left Chaminade three players short, said he was anxious as the game wore on.

“[Newbury Park] had me real worried,” Swatosh said. “They have some very good players and they gave our defense problems when they got the ball [near the goal].”

First-year Newbury Park Coach Guy Sanford said his team, which lost in overtime Friday night to Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League game, said a shuffling of personnel contributed to the Panthers’ defeat.

“I had James Bailey, who’s normally a striker, playing fullback and he got beat” Sanford said. “I got out-coached today and that was good soccer on Chaminade’s part.”

In other pool-play games:

Westlake 1, Burroughs 1--After the teams tied in regulation, Westlake (4-2) won a shootout, 3-1.

Mike Moll scored on an 18th-minute penalty kick to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Burroughs’ Genghis Hernandez scored in the 46th minute after passes by Rob Honicky and Miguel Meneses.

Burroughs (3-2-3) outshot the Warriors, 15-3.

Westlake goalkeeper Scott Peck made two saves in the shootout.

Rio Mesa 4, Alemany 1--The Spartans (5-2), stung earlier in the day by a loss to Lancaster, roared back against the Indians (1-5).

After Jeff Evans’ first-half goal, David Cervantes scored his ninth and 10th goals to build a 3-0 advantage midway through the second half.

Alemany’s Richard Benson scored by bending a free kick around a wall of defenders in the 50th minute and Rio Mesa’s Bryan Monka scored with a minute to play.

“We went from low to high today,” said Spartan Coach Brent Kruk, whose team won the Channel League title last season. “We came into this season thinking people would just roll over for us.”

Rio Mesa held a 27-4 shot advantage. Alemany goalkeeper Eddie Cicoria was outstanding, making 12 saves.

Lancaster 4, Rio Mesa 2--The Spartans built a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Cervantes and Chris High, but surrendered two goals early in the second half en route to an upset loss.

Royal 2, Quartz Hill 1--Second-half goals by Evan Kay and Nick Owens gave the Highlanders (6-1) the lead before Mike Hallmark scored for the Rebels (4-3-1).

Royal 2, Hueneme 1--Midfielder Evan Kay scored his third and fourth goals in the first half and the Highlanders improved to 7-1.

“We are dead tired right now,” said Royal Coach Kevin Corley, whose team completed a stretch of five games in six days.

* MORE SOCCER

Results from the Royal girls’ tournament and other games, C14