Chris Ringstrom

Steve Virgen

Call him “The Northwood Heartbreaker.”

Last year, Corona del Mar High’s Chris Ringstrom scored an

unassisted goal in the final minute to lead the Sea Kings’ boys

soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Northwood on the Timberwolves’

field. The win ended Northwood’s 14-game unbeaten streak and gave

Corona del Mar a share of the Pacific Coast League title with the

Timberwolves.

This season, Ringstrom, a senior forward, proved to be a nuisance

for Northwood again. He scored three goals and provided two assists,

leading the Sea Kings to a 5-2 victory over the host Timberwolves

Feb. 11. With the win, Corona del Mar clinched the PCL title. Heading

into the game, the Sea Kings held a one-point advantage over

Northwood in the league standings.

“I’m sure [the Timberwolves] are not happy with me,” Ringstrom

said. “That goal last year, I don’t know what I was thinking right

there. It was probably one of the slowest goals I have scored. It

just bounced in. I’m happy to help out my team when they needed me.”

The Sea Kings built a 3-0 lead in the first 42 minutes, as

Ringstrom scored the first two goals and had an assist on Danny

Whittaker’s goal. The Timberwolves came within, 3-2, with 12 minutes

left, but Ringstrom produced another assist for Whitaker with two

minutes remaining.

A minute later, Ringstrom, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week,

got his hat trick, scoring on the wing on a cross from Whittaker.

Ringstrom’s finishing touch put an end to all hopes of revenge for

the Timberwolves.

“I don’t think they like him,” Corona del Mar Coach Pat Callaghan

said. “I think they fear playing against him. There’s no substitute

for speed. They try to double team him. If they want to shut him

down, they can try. We have a number of weapons.”

Just before the game against the Timberwolves, Callaghan said he

overheard Northwood players saying they needed to stop Julien

Cerutti, Whittaker and Ringstrom.

“You can’t shut down three guys,” Callaghan said. “That’s pretty

hard to do.”

Ringstrom said because of the Sea Kings’ depth he was able to

score the three goals.

“They can’t double mark any of us,” Ringstrom said. “You can’t

leave any one of us open. We have so much talent. We have a lot of

skill.”

While Cerutti provides deft ball-handling skills and Whittaker

adds a physical presence, fellow senior teammate Dominic Rubino

contributes his intelligence and knows where to be in order to score.

Ringstrom, a standout sprinter on the Corona del Mar track and field

team, has speed that separates him from all other players on the

field. Ringstrom’s quickness, with or without the ball, is definitely

a key for the Sea Kings.

“He’s obviously our most potent offensive threat,” Callaghan said.

“His speed takes our team to another level.”

Ringstrom, who competed in cross country, soccer and track and

field in his four years for the Sea Kings, will most likely continue

competing in track and soccer at Stanford next year. He has been

accepted. He plans to tryout for the track and field team and the

men’s soccer squad as a walk-on.

He did not gain a scholarship, but one of the track coaches,

Edrick Floreal, wrote a letter of recommendation in Ringstrom’s

regard when he applied.

Ringstrom will also try to make the Stanford men’s soccer team.

Last year the Cardinal won just three games and was 0-10 in the

Pac-10 Conference.

“That’s bad, but it could be good for me,” Ringstrom said.