Boys’ soccer: Catholic schools gone wild and the latest top 5 rankings

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Growing up, I attended Catholic school. I don’t remember everything from my religious studies, but I do remember being told repeatedly, ‘God is everywhere.’ The implication being, don’t misbehave because God will know if you do.

I wonder if the students at Servite and Santa Margarita Catholic high schools have been told, ‘God is everywhere’?

The boys at Servite acted very un-Catholic-like during the Friars’ 1-0 victory over the Eagles on Friday. After the game they showed no class, yelling, ‘Winners ...losers! Winners ...losers!’ while pointing out their players, then Santa Margarita’s.

‘It’s ridiculous,’ Santa Margarita Coach Curt Bauer said of the students’ behavior. ‘Their administration is here, their principal is here and their fans are allowed to say [explicit obscenities]. It just doesn’t seem right that that a Catholic high school would allow its student body do that. It’s embarrassing.’

According Bauer, on top of the pointing and some inappropriate sexual remarks made to his players, some Servite fans also spit at them. This is the second time this season Santa Margarita has claimed one of their players got spit on, the first time turned out to be not true.

Servite’s Mike Lussier said Bauer’s claims were typical of the Eagles coach, and added that Santa Margarita’s fans are no saints either.

‘I think that’s interesting considering at their field [when Servite played Santa Margarita on Jan. 9] they passed out rosters and they were -- and we have this on video -- all their alumni and fans were calling my kids by their first names and harassing them,’ Lussier said. ‘So, I don’t know.... I think that sounds a little hypocritical to me.’

Lussier said he didn’t witness anything out of line until at the end of the game, when fans began to chant and point at Santa Margarita’s players. Lussier said, ‘It was out of character and we don’t support that.’ He said apologized to Bauer for that incident.

‘And, of course, he gave me an earful about our fans, our school, our this, our that.... whatever,’ Lussier said. ‘It just sounds like a person that doesn’t like losing.’

It all appears to be a classic, ‘he said, he said’ situation. Not uncommon in high school sports.

What’s most unfortunate, however, is that the off-field actions overshadowed what happened on the field. The teams are not scheduled to play again this season, but could face each other in the Southern Section Divsion I playoffs.

Around the world when soccer fans misbehave, a common penalty is to play the game with no fans in attendance. While that may sound extreme, I’d be all for a fan-free game between these teams. Santa Margarita and Servite are two of the most skilled squads in the Southland, and their play should do the talking for them. Nothing else.

Thanks to Servite’s 1-0 victory over Santa Margarita on Friday, I have a new No. 1 in my Southland rankings: Santa Monica.

Servite, which had lost to Mater Dei earlier in the week, kept itself at No. 3 with its victory. St. Francis, which won both of its games last week by a combined score of 8-1, stayed at No. 4. Crespi fell out of the top five after two ties. Mater Dei is the new No. 5, but, with a game at Santa Margarita on Wednesday looming, can the Monarchs keep themselves in my rankings? The Monarchs are the fourth No. 5 team in four weeks.

My Top 5

No. 1. Santa Monica (16-0-1, 4-0 Ocean) -- The Vikings had both of their games last week postponed because of rain. This impacts the schedule a little as they will play two games in two days this week and then three games next week. This week they host Inglewood on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and play at Morningside (a make-up game from last week) at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

No. 2. Santa Margarita (13-2-4, 5-1-1 Trinity) -- Had a 16-game unbeaten streak snapped on Friday but head into this week as the No. 1 team in the Trinity League. The Eagles currently hold the tiebreaker for the league’s No. 1 berth into the playoffs over Mater Dei. This week, they host the Monarchs on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m and then play at Orange Lutheran at 3 p.m. on Friday.

No. 3. Servite (19-3-3, 4-2-1 Trinity) -- The Friars had a huge victory over Santa Margarita, but currently find themselves in third place in the Trinity League. However, another loss by Santa Margarita and a win by Servite over Mater Dei in the last week of the regular season and they are the the league champions because they will hold all the tiebreakers. This week, the Friars only play one game, at Orange Lutheran at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.

No. 4. St. Francis (17-4-2, 6-0-2 Mission) -- This week, St. Francis plays at the Mission League’s third place team, Loyola (10-4-6, 4-2-2), today/Monday and then hosts second-place Crespi (9-3-6, 4-0-4) at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Golden Knight can’t clinch the league title yet, but two wins puts them in a very favorable position. St. Francis has won its last three games by a combined score of 15-2.

No. 5. Mater Dei (14-3-4, 5-1-1 Trinity) -- Mater Dei can place itself in the driver’s seat of the Trinity League with a victory over Santa Margarita this week. The Monarchs and the Eagles meet at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday at Santa Margarita. The last time they played, the Eagles won, 3-1, giving the Monarchs their only loss in their last 13 games. Last season’s game ended in ties, 1-1 at Santa Margarita and 2-2 at Mater Dei.

-- Jaime Cardeas

-- Image from www.wcg.org