The Ocean League champion Samohi boys’ soccer team (24-0-1) looks to continue its march toward a championship banner in Santa Monica today against Channel Islands of Oxnard (18-2-1) in a CIF-SS Division IV semifinals matchup.
The Vikings are coming off a 7-0 stomping against Bloomington last Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“We’re definitely going to carry that momentum [into the game today],” Samohi head soccer coach Frank Gatell said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like that before, especially in a quarterfinals match.”
The Vikings played nearly flawless soccer during the last 20-minutes of the first half. The team built a 5-0 by half time.
The Raiders, however, are looking to prove their 2-1 victory over Del Rey League champion Cathedral in the quarterfinals was no fluke. Junior midfielder Jesus Landeros is an offensive weapon Samohi will need to contain.
“They depend heavily on Landeros,” Gatell said. “He is very dangerous. We’re not going to play scared of him, but we’ll be cognitive of his abilities because they play most of their game through him.”
The game is set to start at 3 p.m.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 26, 2008. Read the original PDF.