Prep Soccer: Bulldogs lose the rematch - VVdailypress.com

OAK HILLS — Rematches don’t always have the same outcome. Wilder-Fury II, McGregor-Diaz II, Rocky-Creed II and now Oak Hills-Marshall II are all examples.

The Oak Hills boys soccer team lost to Marshall 4-1 in the semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Championships on Thursday, five days after beating the Eagles for the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 title.

Just like Deontay Wilder, Nate Diaz and Apollo Creed, Thursday’s rematch started with a punch to the mouth of Oak Hills.

Marshall took a 1-0 lead 50 second in as Elias Gallegos headed a corner kick in the back of the net.

“We got punched in the mouth at the beginning of the game and it’s never good to go down early and dig yourself out of a hole,” Oak Hills head coach Adam Caudle said.

Marshall knew it had to do more against a team that scored four unanswered goals five days ago.

The Eagles got a loose ball in Oak Hills’ box just eight minutes later and Kevin Zamudio was able to blast a shot into the top of the net to double the lead.

Throughout the entire first half, the Bulldogs got plenty of chances on goal and could not convert. Whether it was a shot going just wide or Marshall’s keeper making a great save, the Bulldogs could not get the ball into the back of the net.

They remained optimistic going into halftime and started off the second half energized.

It was more of the same. More chances, more near-goals, nothing to show on the scoreboard.

“We had chances. It doesn’t always bounce your way,” Caudle said. “This is a pretty fair matchup. 4-0 last week, 4-1 this week, the team showed up but we got beat today.”

Zamudio continued his success into the second half, scoring two more goals to give Marshall a 4-0 lead and earn himself a hat trick.

Ethan Burkel gave Oak Hills its lone goal of the game, scoring on a 20-yard freekick in the 66th minute. The Bulldogs kept pressing until the final whistle, but again, could not find the back of the net.

Overall, the Bulldogs took 14 shots on goal while Marshall took eight. Both keepers made three saves, the ball just didn’t bounce the Bulldogs’ way.

“I don’t like to make excuses ever,” Caudle said. “Marshall came with a chip on their shoulder and proved why they are still in the regionals. Credit to them.”

But while things didn’t go the Bulldogs’ way on Thursday, Caudle could not help but be proud of what his team accomplished this season.

For the first time in Oak Hills history, the boys soccer team were CIF-SS champions, something that Caudle believes nobody expected from his squad.

“I honestly think that no one really expected us to do this,” he said. “Up the CIF championship and everything after was really them over-achieving and them showing their doubters that they are a really good team.”