Royal Gives Command Performance : Highlanders Reach 4-A Soccer Final With Dominating 2-0 Win

Its last match was perhaps a little too close for comfort.

So the Royal High boys’ soccer team made certain that its Southern Section 4-A Division semifinal playoff match Tuesday against Palos Verdes was not close at all.

The Highlanders, the No. 2-ranked team in the division, manhandled top-ranked Palos Verdes from start to finish in a 2-0 victory at Simi Valley High.

In the process, the Highlanders ended the Sea Kings’ season--and the 20-game winning streak Palos Verdes (25-3-2) had been riding--and moved into the 4-A championship game for the first time in school history.

Royal (25-1-2) faces Newbury Park, a 3-0 semifinal winner over Fountain Valley on Tuesday, in the final at 8 p.m. Friday at Gahr High in Cerritos.

“We’ve been working toward this all season,” Royal senior Ponce Espinoza said. “It’s something we’ve been working on, and now we’ve finally done it. I feel like whoever we play, we’ll be able to beat them if we come out and play our game.”

Against Palos Verdes, it was Royal’s game from the start. The Highlanders controlled the ball throughout and racked up 31 shots on goal to the Sea Kings’ 7.

Royal took a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal at the 31-minute mark by Marcus Marcuson, who rebounded a missed shot at close range by teammate Matt Rast and scored.

Goalkeeper Karl Holt scored on a penalty kick 12 minutes into the second half to close out the scoring.

Royal played a particularly strong first half; the Highlanders outshot Palos Verdes, 20-5--as planned.

“After our last game, we wanted to make sure we got up first,” Espinoza said. “We came out and we were up for the game.”

Against Alta Loma in the quarterfinals, Royal trailed, 3-0, at halftime and was forced to play double overtime to win. But the Highlanders made sure there would be no repeat this time.