HomePublicationLa CañadaNa-Nakornpanom Leads LCHS to Playoff Win

Na-Nakornpanom Leads LCHS to Playoff Win

Photo courtesy Razmik Ignatian<br >The Spartans celebrate Tyler Na Nakornpanoms second goal during a 3 2 win over visiting Granite Hills of Apple Valley in the second round of the CIF SS playoffs last Saturday

The La Cañada High School varsity boys’ soccer team upset visiting No. 3 seed Granite Hills of Apple Valley, 3-2, in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs last Saturday.

The Spartans struck first when Andrew Ignatian got past the Cougars’ back line and connected with Ethan Godby for the score, and Tyler Na-Nakornpanom followed with a hard-driven goal of his own just outside the 18-yard box.

The Spartans finished the first half up 2-0 and in full command of the match with solid defensive play from Garrett Morikawa, Daniel Pinski, Liam Rea, Luke Hong, Isaac Reiter and goalie Nick Boghossian.

Granite Hills rallied in the second half with aggressive play that led to multiple shots on goal. The momentum seemed to shift in favor of the Cougars when they scored their first goal off of a set piece in the 70th minute, but Na-Nakornpanom answered right back with another score, catching Granite Hills’ goalie out of position. 

Granite Hills scored again in the 76th minute off of a set piece to make the final five minutes intense for the home squad, but the Spartans held on for the victory.

La Cañada (7-1-2 overall) opened the Division 5 playoffs with a first-round 3-1 win over visiting Rubidoux of Jurupa Valley last week.

The Falcons caught the LCHS back line off guard and scored on counter attack 45 seconds into the match.

The Spartans kept their composure and slowly regained control of the game and finally broke through when Godby fired one past the keeper from just inside the 18-yard box.

Ignatian gave LC the lead with a goal in the 29th minute off a well-placed center from Alec Sodonis, and Godby struck again in the second half to make it a two-goal advantage.

The Spartans traveled to Los Olivos on Wednesday to take on Dunn in the quarterfinals. Should LC come away with a win, it would move on to face either Lancaster Eastside or Citrus Hill of Perris in a semifinal on Saturday.

Flintridge Prep 3, Perris Orange Vista 1

The Wolves represented the Prep League well in the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs by defeating visiting Orange Vista of Perris in a second-round match last Saturday.

Flintridge Prep (7-2-2 overall), which finished second in league, opened the postseason with a 2-1 victory on the road over Adelanto last week. 

The team traveled to Santa Monica to take on Crossroads in a quarterfinal on Wednesday. Should the Wolves come away with a win, they would move on to face either San Bernardino Aquinas or Covina Charter Oak in a semifinal this Saturday.

St. Francis 3, Downey Warren 0

The Golden Knights continued their winning ways in the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs, most recently defeating Downey Warren in a second-round match last Saturday.

St. Francis (14-5 overall) has won five consecutive matches dating back to April 28. The Golden Knights finished second in the Mission League with a 9-3 record and defeated El Dorado of Placentia, 1-0, at home in the first round.

SFHS, which finished ranked No. 8 in Division 2, traveled to Placentia to face No. 1 seed Valencia High in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday. Should the Golden Knights defeat the Tigers, they would advance to the semifinals and face either Aliso Niguel of Aliso Viejo or Norwalk. 

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