RETHRONED

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff men's soccer team left no doubt Tuesday night at Saddleback High School, cruising past Simpson, 4-0, to capture the California Pacific Conference Tournament championship and punch their ticket to the NAIA national tournament.

Jordan Di Lonardo led the way with a brace, scoring in both halves, while Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Year Adi Vaknin added a goal and two assists.

The two goals by Di Lonardo were especially impressive as they were just enough to slip the Warriors' captain past Q Hornung for No. 1 on Westcliff's all-time scoring list.

Jose Urdiano Morales chipped in a late finisher off a feed from Ismail Shafi to round out a dominant performance, and the party was on.

Goalkeeper Olly Scott, a Cal Pac First Team selection, earned the clean sheet behind a defense anchored by Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year Finn Pock.

Westcliff's back line was unbreakable throughout the postseason, conceding just once in two tournament matches.

The Warriors (11-4-2) capped a six-match win streak and an .813 conference mark with their fourth shutout in five outings.

The title marks another milestone in a season defined by balance — from Vaknin's relentless attack to Pock's steady command in the back and Di Lonardo's clinical passing.

Head coach Randy Dodge, now a 21-time conference or tournament champion in his 23 years as a head coach, called the moment "just gratifying."

"I'm just so happy for these guys," Dodge said. "We went through a tough spell — I hadn't lost three games in a row in over 11 years — and it was all our own mistakes. But the guys just stuck to the game plan, and we got better and better and we're peaking at the right moment.

"We defended all year long and that's a testament to our goalkeeper, to Finn and Jeremy and Sohaib and Demi and Fred who went back there. I'm super proud because that's the culture we've been building for the last three years."

Dodge added that the group's hunger came from last year's snub by the national tournament.

"To be honest, the NAIA screwed us last year," he said. "We should've been going to the national championships three years in a row, which makes me still bitter. But these guys came back hungry, their desire was to get back to nationals — and we did that."

With the Cal Pac trophy secured, Westcliff will await its national tournament draw in next week's selection show, carrying a defense built on trust and a culture forged through persistence.

You can watch along live, Nov. 14^th at 3 p.m. on YouTube.

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