PHOTOS: Sunny Hills remains undefeated with Freeway League victory over rival Troy

Sunny Hills’ Ethan Castro vies for the ball with Troy’s Brendan Lee and a teammate. (Photos courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone).

Soccer has a wide assortment of clever plays, most of which rarely work.

But when they do …

Sunny Hills ran a play that was spectacularly successful Friday afternoon and although it was simply entertaining when it happened, it ultimately turned out to be the winning goal in a 2-1 Freeway League victory over rival Troy.

Sunny Hills was leading 1-0 when a player was fouled just outside the 18-yard box. The Lancers lined up for a direct kick, which featured, of course, a wall of players by Troy.

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

Ethan Castro (45) high fives Tyler Ip (5) after Ip’s successful penalty kick gave Sunny Hills early lead in the match with Troy.

Elijah Juge (2) converts a penalty kick in 78th minute to get Troy within a goal of Sunny Hills. Lancer goalie S.J. Sandoval, left, got his hand on shot but could not deflect it out of the goal.

Sunny Hills’ Matthias Brown connects on a free kick in the 68th minute to give the Lancers the deciding goal.

Sunny Hills’ Issac Morales has a flying kick at the goal in the first half.

Sunny Hills’ Daniel Park and Henry Garcia (28) knock the ball away from Troy’s Brendan Lee.

Troy defender Umair Ahmed tries to slow the advance of Sunny Hills’ Issac Morales.

Sunny Hills’ Edwin Benavidez blocks the drive of Troy’s talented Elijah Juge.

The deciding goal slips inside the near post, just beyond the reach of Troy goalie Sammy Miller.

Sunny Hills’ goalie A.J. Sandoval gets his glove on a Troy penalty kick, but the ball was struck too well to be deflcted away from goal.

Troy’s Brendan Lee tries to split Sunny Hills’ defenders David Espana (2) and Edwin Benavidez.

Troy’s Huss Fischer (50 and Sunny Hills’ David Rezko compete for the ball.

Sunny Hills’ wins a header contest with two Troy players.

Sunny HIlls’ Anthony Agular-Casillas shields Troy’s Koos Dean from the ball.

Troy’s Brendan Lee (10) and Sunny Hills’ Ethan Castro compete for the ball.

A pretty common practice is to have an offensive player on each side of the ball. Usually one player makes a run at the ball and fakes a kick. The second player, coming from the opposite direction then kicks the ball. The players decide who is actually going to kick the ball.

The Lancers ran the play with Matthias Brown on the left side, Issac Morales on the right.
When the play began, Matthias went first, only he didn’t fake the kick. He kicked the ball, which nicked a Troy defender and squirmed inside the near post, just beyond the reach of a diving Sammy Miller. Sunny Hills led 2-0.

The play worked so well it even fooled Sunny Hills’ coach Mike Schade. “I thought Issac was going to take the shot,” Schade said after his team improved its overall record to 13-0-3 on a season when it is yet to play a match on its home field.

The goal gave Sunny Hills a 2-0 lead; Tyler Ip had scored on a penalty kick in the 28th minute of the first half.

The second goal increased in value in the 78th minute when Troy standout Elijah Juge was fouled in the box and then blasted a goal through the outstretched hands of Sunny Hills’ goalie A.J. Sandoval.

Sunny Hills has yet to play a match onits natural grass home field because recent rains. That streak will continue early this week when the Lancers wrap up the first round of Freeway League play with a match Wednesday (3 p.m.) at Sonora.

The second round of league begins Friday when the Lancers will face Fullerton, the team they shared the league title with a season ago.

—Courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone