Birmingham Wins Battle of the Yawn

VAN NUYS â€”  Where have you gone Luis Castro and Danny Ortega? And while you’re out, pick up a bottle of caffeine pills for the teammates you left behind.

Castro, formerly of the Cleveland High boys’ soccer team, and Ortega, formerly of Birmingham, were Northwest Valley Conference standouts and rivals last season. They are now freshmen midfielders at Cal State Northridge and their old teams haven’t been the same since.

Thursday, host Birmingham defeated Cleveland, 1-0, in a match played in plodding fashion. Never mind that the conference lead was at stake; play never climbed above second gear.

“We wanted to score early and slow it down,� said Birmingham midfielder Pablo Lastorta, who assisted on the Braves’ goal by Juan Herrera in the 20th minute. “We wanted to hold the pace down and set our minds to defense.�

Fair enough, just wake up everyone when it’s over.

With Birmingham sweeper Jesus Medellin and goalkeeper John Wall sitting out after being ejected Tuesday against Granada Hills, the strategy was practical and effective.

Cleveland (8-2-4, 3-1-4 in conference play), whose top scorer, Oscar Garcia, is out of action with a broken leg, mounted few serious threats.

The Braves (9-0-4, 6-0-4), two-time defending conference champions, retained first place and Cleveland dropped into a second-place tie with Kennedy.

The goal came when Lastorta booted a 45-yard free kick that was trapped in the penalty area by Herrera. With the Cleveland defense seemingly bolted to the ground, he scored from 10 yards.

Cleveland Coach Mario Campos, frustrated by his team’s listless play, vowed to make changes.

“We haven’t practiced as a team so, of course, we don’t play as a team,� Campos said angrily. “Guys just haven’t shown up.

“I bench them and then they don’t show up to games when they know they’re not going to play. There are about three guys who won’t be with us anymore.�