Santa Barbara’s Único boys 2011 soccer team captured its second consecutive Cal South National Cup Championship last weekend in San Bernardino.
“This was a complete team effort,” Santa Barbara coach Hermes Garcia said. “Every player contributed, and what stood out most was the belief this group has in each other.
“Even when we were down, they stayed focused, made adjustments, and never gave up.”
Santa Barbara went undefeated in group play to secure the top spot in its bracket, taking down Central Coast Surf Elite, Sporting Fontana and Pro Alliance FC, outscoring opponents 10-2 along the way.
In the semifinals, Único faced off against a familiar foe in 805 Union and came away with a 3-1 victory to punch its ticket to the championship match.
Único then battled back-and-forth with Platinum IE Academy in the championship, initially going down 1-0 before Chris Ramos scored the equalizer on a header.
Platinum IE regained the lead heading into halftime, but Único came roaring back in the second half with goals from Philip Cruz Orozco and Ramos to take the lead. In the final moments, Tanner Hug came up with two clutch saves to seal the win.
The Único squad included Isaias Tiburcio, Chris Ramos, Dylan Reyes, Sergio Morales, Philip Cruz Orozco, Evan Solis, Nito Quintero, Robert Ibarra, Henry Metcalfe, Bradley Brennan, Lucas Aguilar, Jonathan Bay, Henry Zylstra, Francisco Alcaraz, Wesley Demmin and Tanner Hug.
The team is coached by Hermes Garcia and managed by Brianna Aguilar.