Three Seniors Provide Leadership for Griffins' Boys Soccer Team

Los Alamitos' boys soccer team is riding a five-match winning streak as it begins play Friday in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Divsion 1 playoffs. Not bad for a team whose only goal was to just play hard.

However, that philosophy paid off all season long for the 10th-seeded Griffins, whose biggest victory came in its last regular-season game, on Feb. 9. Los Alamitos handed top-ranked and previously undefeated Edison a 1-0 loss in Sunset League play that day.

The victory capped the Griffins' regular season, one in which they finished 15-4-4 overall and 8-2 in league, good for second place. Los Alamitos opens the playoffs Friday with a 3 p.m. home match against Upland (13-8-3), the runner-up in the Baseline League.

Coming into the season, coach Donovan Martinez knew his team was in the toughest league in Division 1. As a result, his preseason goal was for his players to get on the field and simply be competitive.

“We had a lot of guys step up and fill some critical roles,” Martinez said proudly, “We had some unknowns, guys who hadn’t played varsity, but they stayed focused and came to every game ready to play.”

The Griffins' squad was filled with mostly inexperienced players but possessed a few key building blocks. Martinez instills fundamentals in his players and pushes them to play with a mature approach. To have any success, he said, the team needed contributions from a trio of senior captains: Tim Harty, Kyle Freeman and Andy Anderson.

“Our strength by far has been our leadership from three of the best seniors we’ve ever had,” said Martinez referring to the team's driving force. “They set the tone all season with their work ethic and leadership.

"We are also lucky to have two of the best goal keepers in Southern California, which had been a bit of a sore spot for us in previous years,” Martinez said.

Seniors Richard Burns and Daniel Boyer, who each stands 6 feet 2, mind the net for the Griffins. They have combined for eight shutouts and have surrendered more than one goal in only six games this season -- three of those six games were the first three of the season.

When asked his thoughts about the upcoming playoffs, Martinez mentioned several teams as being strong and capable of making deep playoff runs. He said there are several good teams in the Trinity league, but that Edison is, “super talented and is, hands-down, the favorite to win.”

Edison defeated Los Alamitos, 3-0, in their first-round showdown on Jan. 19.

The Griffins’ three senior captains all come across as humble, deflecting praise to their fellow teammates.

“I look forward to facing the competition and I think we are capable of taking anyone out,” said forward Tim Harty, who leads the Grifins with 15 goals. “I’m just proud of our season and being ranked as one of the top teams in the nation. Our midfield has been solid and Kyle adds a lot to it.”

Midfielder Kyle Freeman was quick to return the compliment.

“Tim really stepped up this year and when he scored, we had confidence,” he said. “It took off a lot of pressure.”

Rounding out the trio is center back Andy Anderson, who may be the most reflective of the three, saying the team’s success comes from the players' ability to keep their heads in the game.

“We had a slow start, but focused and left that all behind in the second half," he said. "Then things started connecting.”

Freeman gave credit to his teammates for their motivational skills.

“Andy kept everyone motivated. He was vocal about showing the underclassmen how to play right,” he said. “Tim leads by example, and because of all those goals, is our MVP."

Martinez says that in order to move forward in the playoffs, his team will need to stay in character and stick to who they are -- a defensive team. “We’ll make slight adjustments to the opponent, but stay focused on what has worked for us."

It appears that the Griffins have a trio of thinkers capable of doing just that.

Harty has earned a scholarship from Cal State San Bernardino and will play for the Coyotes next season, while Freeman is considering Oregon but appears to be leaning toward Arizona State, where he plans to major in business finance or global politics.

Anderson said he may play for a community college next season but has his sites set on majoring in kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton.