Coronado boys set records, cruise to 5A state title match — PHOTOS
Coronado’s boys soccer got a look at some Northern teams at a tournament in August to prepare for potential opponents in the state tournament.
Wooster, the Cougars’ opposition in the Class 5A state semifinals, wasn’t one of those teams.
That didn’t matter Friday.
Coronado, the Southern League champion and No. 1 seed, continued its record season of dominance, rolling to an 8-1 victory against Wooster, the North’s No. 2 seed, at Coronado.
Coronado will face Northern champion Hug — a 1-0 winner over Palo Verde in an earlier semifinal — at noon Saturday at Coronado for the state title.
Dylan Flores scored four goals for Coronado (27-0), and Gavin Flickinger added three goals to break the state record for most goals in a season by a player in the top classification (59).
The Cougars also set the record for most goals in a season by a team after coming into Friday tied with North Tahoe (158 in 1999).
Coronado will now go into Saturday trying to be the second team to have an undefeated season with no ties (Tech, 23-0 in 2012), according to known records by the NIAA, and be the first team since Legacy (2010 and 2011) to win back-to-back titles in the top classification.
Wooster “came out hard. That team wanted to win,” Coronado coach Dustin Barton said. “They wanted it, but we kind of wore them down. We passed the ball well and absorbed all that pressure and then tired them out and (went) at them.”
Flickinger’s third goal, a penalty kick in the final minutes, was his record 59th of the season. The goal broke the mark of 58 set by MLS player Danny Musovski (Liberty) in 2013.
“It’s a good feeling, but I have to thank my teammates for it all,” Flickinger said. “They’re always feeding me balls, and I wouldn’t be able to beat (the record) without them.”
Flickinger had several scoring chances throughout the game that just missed. Barton said once Flickinger scored the final goal, the team felt some relief after pushing to get him the record.
“Everybody’s pretty excited, and Gavin’s pretty high right now with breaking the record,” Barton said. “Now we can settle in and play (Saturday). It was a little bit of pressure. He was a little bit nervous to get that last one. It’s good that he got it, and now we can relax and play.”
Flores and Flickinger connected early on a pair of goals. Flores fed an open Flickinger on the first goal as Flores tapped a pass to his teammate while Wooster goalie Jason Acosta-Plascencia attempted to stop Flores in the sixth minute.
Flickinger assisted Flores in the eighth minute to put Coronado ahead 2-0. Flores scored again in the 31st minute to help the Cougars hold a 3-1 halftime lead after Matias Gutierrez-Duarte scored for Wooster in the 24th minute.
“We’re very complementary of each other ever since the start of the season,” Flickinger said of his connection with Flores. “We’ve been scoring and assisting each other every game, so it’s really cool.”
Flickinger scored early in the second half, and Flores added two more goals. Aiden Sena added a goal in the 55th minute.
“We kept working hard and we knew the goals would come,” Barton said. “Usually, they come. If you have enough opportunities, you’re going to score some, and we’ll get them in.”
— No. 1N Hug 1, No. 2S Palo Verde 0: At Coronado, Julian Enriquez scored in the 73rd minute, and the Hawks (17-0-5) eliminated the Panthers (14-7-3) in the other semifinal.
On a long free-kick attempt, Hug controlled possession in front of the Palo Verde net and got Panthers goalie Landon Blanchard out of position. Enriquez gathered a loose ball and tapped it into an open net.
Class 4A
— No. 2M Canyon Springs 3, No. 1D Desert Oasis 0: At Coronado, Alonso Gutierrez-Chavez scored three goals for the Mountain League’s No. 2 seed, and the Pioneers (18-2-2) upset Desert League champion Desert Oasis (18-2-1) in a state semifinal.
Canyon Springs will face Mountain champion Liberty at noon Saturday at Cimarron-Memorial for the state title.
Goalie Bryan Colmenares recorded the shutout for the Pioneers, who played the entire second half with 10 men.
— No. 1M Liberty 3, No. 2D Sierra Vista 2 (OT): At Cimarron-Memorial, Joseph Gonzalez scored five minutes into overtime to lift the Patriots (22-2) past the Mountain Lions (16-5-2) in the other semifinal.
Michael DiOrio had two goals for Liberty, and Gonzalez had a goal and two assists. Lazzar Ramos and Edin Omeragik each registered a goal for Sierra Vista.
Class 3A
— No. 1S SLAM Academy 3, No. 2N North Tahoe 0: At Dayton, the Bulls (20-2) scored twice in the second half and blanked North Tahoe (19-4-3) in a state semifinal.
SLAM Academy will play Northern champion South Tahoe (19-4-2) — a 6-0 winner over No. 2S Del Sol (12-6) in the other semifinal — at noon Saturday at Dayton for the state title.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.