PHOTOS: Sunny Hills completes undefeated regular season and gets ready for CIF playoffs

Coach Mike Schade tries to elude a water bottle shower after his Sunny Hills boys soccer team wrapped up an unbeaten regular season.

Mike Schade has been coaching boys soccer at Sunny Hills High for so long he is now coaching kids of former players so it’s not unusual to see Lancer dads on the sidelines.

One such interested observer this season has been Steve Fichtelberg, whose son, Aiden, is a member of a Lancer team that wrapped up a once-in-a-lifetime regular season with an 8-0 victory over visiting Sonora Wednesday.

With the win the Lancers not only secured a rare unbeaten regular season (19-0-4) but it’s believed became the first club to record a perfect 10-0 record while claiming a Freeway League title.

The league title was Schade’s 19th overall as part of the Lancer program, two as an assistant,17 in 35 years as head coach. He’s also been part of three championship teams, one as an assistant, two as head coach, the last being a year ago when the Lancers were Division 3 titlests.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

There was another reason Fichtelberg was on the sidelines. That was to see if his 36-year-old single season record of 23 goals would survive the challenge of the Lancers’ prolific Mathias Brown.
Spoiler alert. It didn’t.

Matthias scored three times, the record breaker coming in the 15 th minute of the second half on a shot to the near post. Fichtelberg was among the first of many to congratulate Matthias for his remarkable accomplishment.

While Matthias’ individual accomplishments were spectacular, the current senior class of players, of which Brown is a member, will always hold a special place in Schade’s memory.

“It is a special senior class,” Schade said. “They contributed to three excellent years, one before COVID and the two that have followed.”

It is the contrast of COVID year where, plagued by injuries, a decades-long Lancer CIF playoff run came to a jarring halt.

The playoff non-invite inspired the Lancers to come back with a vengeance.

Last season they tied a talented Fullerton team for the Freeway League title and then went on a 6-win run to a CIF Division 3 title.

This year has been even more remarkable. A rainy winter kept the Lancers off their home field until January and they met each challenge with the boldness of a well-coached team.

The Lancers’ 19-0-4 season wasn’t without its challenges, particularly in league. In the first meeting with improved Buena Park, the Lancers trailed much of the second half before Issac Morales scored late in regulation and then Sam Takaki punched in an amazing goal with less than a minute to go
in the second overtime to secure a 3-2 win.

In the second Buena Park game, Brown scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win.

And in the two matches with Fullerton, Morales scored late in the first round match for a 1-0 Lancer win and then Brown scored twice to win the second contest, 2-1.

Wednesday’s win was Sunny Hills’ 12th shutout in 22 games. It has allowed 13 goals in 23 matches usually with A.J. Sandoval in goal and Daniel Park, David Rezko and Tyler Ip leading an aggressive counter pressing defense.

Offensively, the standouts are Brown and Morales who have combined to score the winning goal in 13 of 19 games, but the Lancers have had 13 players score goals this season.

Brown scored three times Wednesday, Morales one. The other goals came from Anthony Aguilar-Casillas (2), Sam Takaki and Victor Lang.

The Lancers had little time to bask in recent accomplishments. Their remarkable season has led to heady rankings nationally (17th), California (fiftth), CIF Southern Section (third ), which means they’ll be seeded high in the Division 1 playoffs.

Playoff pairings will be announced Saturday.

—Courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone