CdM falters in end against Foothill

IRVINE — So much noise at the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section Orange County playoff championship, the cops got a call.

A police officer entered the press box, asking the public address announcer to tone down his overzealous calls after each goal. The officer said neighbors complained about the noise coming from the stadium at Irvine High.

To Corona del Mar High’s detriment, Foothill’s Cameron Cole raised the noise level. The announcer continued to yell into the microphone because Cole ignited a thrilling comeback.

Foothill is still the knight of Orange County boys’ lacrosse, battling back twice from five-goal deficits to beat CdM, 10-8, Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Sea Kings tried their best to de-arm No. 2 Foothill, but the Knights showed 2,145 fans why they’re the reigning champions.

The Knights (19-5) are resilient, bouncing back when it looked as if the Sea Kings (20-2) were about to close out county play on top. Corona del Mar led 6-1, and then 7-2 with less than three minutes left before halftime.

Foothill’s two-year run as county champion appeared over.

The Sea Kings were about to beat the Knights for the second time this season after Foothill owned the series prior to this year, going 10-0.

The No. 7 proved to be a lucky number for a Foothill comeback.

Cole went on a scoring frenzy. He recorded four straight goals in a 5:27 span to put the Knights ahead, 8-7, early in the third quarter.

Twice the midfielder scored in the final 94 seconds of the second quarter, cutting the deficit to one. He added two more goals in the first 3:53 in the third, giving the Knights an 8-7 lead, their first advantage of the night.

Foothill never gave it up. Cole’s brother, Chris, added three goals to help the Knights advance to Friday’s Southern California Championship to face Loyola of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County champ.

Noah Molnar snapped the Knights’ 7-0 run. The Lehigh University-bound senior scored his second goal with 10:30 left in the final quarter, making it a 9-8 game.

But Corona del Mar allowed another goal midway through the fourth. The Knights played keep away the rest of the way.

The Sea Kings came up with the ball in the waning seconds, only to have it taken away and see Cameron Cole wind up with the ball in his pocket and the title on his shoulders later.

“It’s a tremendously brutal loss,” Corona del Mar Coach Mark Todd, whose team beat Foothill, 7-6, in overtime on March 11. “We had high expectations. Our focus was to get a ring and a [county] championship and we didn’t make it happen.”