With a championship on the line, Rancho Bernardo goalkeeper Landon Ogles put up the roadblocks.
Ogles stopped three shots and saw another hit the post as Scripps Ranch came up empty in the penalty-kick shootout following a scoreless tie in the San Diego Section Division I boys soccer final Saturday at Mission Bay High.
Rancho Bernardo’s Ethan Clark and Jonas Kingery converted their kicks as the Broncos won the shootout 2-0.
“It’s a guessing game both ways,” said Ogles, a senior and a three-year varsity letterman. “I guessed right tonight.”
“We didn’t want it to go to the shootout, but No. 1, we have the best keeper around so I knew we were in good shape,” said Rancho Bernardo coach Kurt Trecker. “He was huge in the semis, and he came up huge again tonight.”
The fourth-seeded Broncos, who defeated top-seeded San Marcos 2-1 in the semifinals, finished with a 10-9-5 record after placing fourth in the Palomar League.
“We overachieved, but it’s all because of the hard work these guys put in,” said Trecker, who also coached the Broncos to the Division I title in 2011.
No. 6 seed Scripps Ranch, also a fourth-place finisher in the Western League, ended its season with an 8-11-5 record. The Falcons defeated No. 10 seed Eastlake 1-0 in the semifinals after the Titans had stunned No. 2 seed Poway in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win.
Rancho Bernardo had the possession advantage during a scoreless first half and nearly broke through in the 39th minute when midfielder Blake Henderson had two shots on goal from the middle following a corner kick. The crossbar stopped the first shot and the rebound carried just over the goal.
Broncos defender Dustin Vena helped keep the Falcons out of the net with a sliding save on a point-blank shot by Justin Gousset from the right corner in the 34th minute.
Hoff is a freelance writer.
