Boys’ soccer: Santa Margarita’s ‘Super’ Eagles, plus top 5 rankings

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Santa Margarita is probably the most talented team in the Southland.

The Eagles (9-1-3) have scholarship kids, kids getting looks from Europe, kids who are averaging a goal a game, a goalkeeper who is ‘a solid 6-foot-4’ and kids who are great and will only get better as the season goes on.

The soccer gods shined on Santa Margarita Coach Curt Bauer this season. Two players have already accepted Division I scholarships -- defender Roger Downes to Loyola Marymount and forward Mike Munoz to Cal. But soccer is not like football, where just about everybody that plays at the next level gets a scholarship. Bauer guesses that about 12 of the 21 players on this year’s team will end up playing college soccer -- roughly half of them with scholarships.

Now that’s talent.

Downes is being scouted by a professional team in Europe. During his spring break later this year, Downes, also the team captain, will travel to Scotland for a one-week trial with Scottish Premier League team Dundee United.

Having the team with the most talented players doesn’t guarantee a championship, but the Eagles are off to a good start.

Last week the Eagles became the first Orange County team to win the West Coast Classic, an annual event held in Orange County that’s billed as a ‘nationally prestigious tournament.’ Canoga Park won the WCC last year and they went on to become studentsports.rivals.com’s national champion. Am I saying that Santa Margarita is going to end up as national champions? No. What I’m saying is that they are off to a good start.

Based on their talent and their performance during the West Coast Classic, the Eagles are ranked No. 1 in this week’s inaugural top 5 boys’ soccer poll. Santa Margarita, however, is not getting the same type of recognition by anyone else -- the Eagles are ranked No. 4 by the Southern Section Division I coaches and No. 3 in OC by the Register; Servite (16-1-2) is No. 1 in both rankings.

Am I overlooking Servite? Well, I have them ranked No. 2.

The debate over who deserves to be No. 1 won’t last long as Santa Margarita hosts Servite at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in a Trinity league game. The teams will meet again on Jan. 25. And if those matches don’t settle anything, there’s always the playoffs.

Santa Margartia finished last season as Division I co-champions with Loyola, so they also have experience on their side.

Both the Eagles and Friars play great defense. Santa Margarita has given up only six goals while Servite has only allowed nine, and both are averaging two goals a game. It should be a good match on Wednesday. The fact that I rank Santa Margartia No. 1 should give you a pretty good insight as to which team I expect to win.

Wednesday’s a good day for high school soccer

The game between Santa Margarita is not the only interesting matchup on Wednesday, when Loyola plays at No. 3 St. Francis, also at 3:15 p.m., and Harvard-Westlake hosts Crespi.

The Mission League is emerging as the most competitive his season. Loyola was poised to be included in the top 5 but a loss to Crespi yesterday knocked them out. As it stands, St. Francis is first in the league standings, followed by Harvard-Westlake. Crespi and Loyola are tied for third.

The Top 5

No. 1 Santa Margarita (9-1-3) ... Read above.
No. 2 Servite (16-1-2) ...Could move up to No. 1 if it beats Santa Margarita.
No. 3 St. Francis (13-4-0) ... Off to a tremendous start. One coach said, ‘Their star is for real.’
No. 4 Ventura (16-0-2) ... Has scored 10 goals or more in three games this season
No. 5 Riverside Poly (10-1-3) ... Bears are off to a great start, but can they keep it up?

-- Jaime Cardenas