The Point Loma High School boys soccer program lives for the postseason.
Over the last three seasons, the team that calls Chatsworth Boulevard home has gone a combined 7-2 in their San Diego Section postseason matches.
That success continued on Wednesday, thanks primarily to a first-half offensive explosion that ended in a 3-2 win over Southwest-San Diego in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. Seventh-seeded Point Loma advances to play second-seeded Eastlake in Friday’s section quarterfinals.
“We usually play pretty well at home and do a good job here of creating chances in the attacking third,” Pointers coach Elliott Savitz said. “We got a little luck on that first goal, and I think the pressure for the boys kind of dropped a bit and we were able to score two more pretty quickly.”
Point Loma wasted no time jumping all over Southwest. Senior Matheus Tessari opened the night’s scoring in the seventh minute, catching the Raiders’ keeper off his line and easily finished from short range.
Just five minutes later, Tessari struck again. The senior attacker laced a ball just underneath the crossbar, giving him a brace in under 15 minutes of action and extending the Pointers’ lead to 2-0.
“Matheus is our best pure shooter; he strikes the ball really well,” said Savitz, “He is athletic, skillful, and does well in the final third of the field. Those were two great finishes from him tonight.”
Point Loma continued to stay aggressive.
Only a minute after Tessari’s second goal, the Pointers found the back of the net for a third time. Jovani Orozco’s low liner from 25 yards made it a 3-0 lead.
“In that first half, we did a good job of catching Southwest early, and it made things easier for us,” Savitz said.
Southwest adjusted at halftime, sparking a rally.
The Raiders pulled closer in the 60th, as Kevin Gonzalez connected for their first goal.
A short-range finish by captain Edgar Garcia in the 75th minute made it a one-goal game.
As shaky as Point Loma’s backline was for most of the second half, the unit stepped up when it mattered most.
“Our goalkeeper came up big, our backline was under a lot of pressure for the final 30 minutes, and they managed it and came out with a win,” Savitz said. “It wasn’t easy but the boys stuck together and didn’t crumble.”
