Boys Soccer: Verso’s golden touch

BOYS SOCCER ALL-AREA TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Eric Verso
School: St. Francis
Year: Sophomore
Position: Forward
This season: Verso was an integral part of the Golden Knights roster. He scored 26 goals this season and led St. Francis to a CIF Southern California Division II Regional championship, beating Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, 4-2. Verso’s speed and great anticipation virtually made it impossible to defend, wreaking havoc on virtually every play. Verso also was instrumental in helping the Golden Knights reach the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Quotable: “He’s a playmaker. He knows how to read the defenders and creates space. Whenever the ball was in front of him you just knew something special was going to happen.” — St. Francis coach Glen Appels

COACH OF THE YEAR: Glen Appels
School: St. Francis
This season: Despite having a young team, Appels got the team to believe in itself and eventually be fine tune come playoffs. The Golden Knights (18-6-4) got hot when it mattered, making a run to the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs. After an abrupt loss, Appels rounded up his troops and fired them up once again, leading them to a CIF Southern California Division II Regional championship.
Quotable: “He has a lot of experience with high school soccer. He led us throughout the season, but he also relied on a lot of seniors and the captains and that, to me, showed he trusted us. He put so much time and effort into the season and that made it easy to play for him. He gets the most out of you and tells you what he wants, and he’ll tell you if he’s not getting it. I had him as a teacher, so every day in class I’d talk to him about (soccer). That made us all want to just go out there and play for him. He instilled in us a winning mentality, that’s for sure.” — Senior goalkeeper Jordan Bell

FIRST TEAM
GK Jordan Bell (St. Francis) Sr.
F Allen Gaitan (Monrovia) Sr.
F Mathias Ibaez (Monrovia) Jr.
F Bryan Vasquez (Rosemead) Sr.
MF Matt Cannatta (La Caada) So.
MF Dennis Flores (Pasadena) Sr.
MF JOnathan Gamez (Pasadena) Sr.
MF Edson Quinteros (Rosemead) Jr.
MF Nick Rihn (St. Francis) Sr.
MF David Rios (St. Francis) Sr.
D Turner Ward (Monrovia) Sr.

CLICK THREAD FOR SECOND TEAM

SECOND TEAM
GK Esteban Mora (Monrovia) Jr.
F Chawit Chutikul (La Caada) Sr.
F Amir Moore (St. Francis) Sr.
MF Brian Blumenfeld (La Caada) So.
MF Alex Duvoisin (La Caada) Jr.
MF Garrett Gray (La Caada) Sr.
MF Brett McCreary (St. Francis) Sr.
MF Eduardo Ulloa (Monrovia) Sr.
MF Stevie Yortsos (San Marino) Jr.
D Juan Branchini (Monrovia) Sr.
D John Martinez (Rosemead) Sr.

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