Fountain Valley boys' soccer moves atop Wave League with win over Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach's Jared Rhone, left, goes up for a header against Fountain Valley's Austin Pennella during a Wave League match on Wednesday in Fountain Valley.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Jan. 29, 2020 7:56 PM PT

The Fountain Valley High boys’ soccer team was promoted to the CIF Southern Section’s Division 1 playoff grouping this year.

From the outset of the season, Barons coach Jason Smith told his team that it could play well, and it still might lose a few matches.

Smith planned to play a tough schedule to prepare for the fight that the six-match Wave League schedule would present ahead of a potential playoff run.

The Barons faced both physical and mental trials as the losses piled up in the early going. After dropping four in a row by a one-goal margin, the players said they felt that enough was enough.

Fountain Valley had a matchup at rival Edison to begin Sunset Conference crossover play on Jan. 3, and that is where many feel that the Barons began their turnaround. It was only a draw, but the Barons have now gone eight consecutive matches without suffering defeat in the new year.

Sebastian Rus scored on a penalty kick in the 66th minute, and Fountain Valley took over sole possession of first place in the Wave League with a 2-1 win over visiting Huntington Beach on Wednesday. There was a moment of silence before the match for the victims of Sunday’s deadly helicopter crash in Calabasas, where Lakers great Kobe Bryant and eight others died.

Fountain Valley's Sebastian Rus, left, and Austin Pennella celebrate after Rus scored a goal against Huntington Beach in the 66th minute of a Wave League match on Wednesday.

Fountain Valley improved to 7-6-3 overall and 3-0-1 in league play. The Barons, who began the season with a 2-6 record, are closing in on their first league title since the 2007-08 season.

“We have a great team, and we knew that at the beginning,” said Barons senior forward Austin Pennella, whose team has two league matches left. “It didn’t come together until the new year. We were kind of down, and then against Edison, we all told ourselves, ‘Hey, we’re just going to throw everything that we have at them. If we lose, we lose, but we’re just going to go.’

“We went, we got a result, and it’s just kind of driven on from there.”

Rus recorded the go-ahead goal after the Oilers were called for a handball in the box. He scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season into the right side of the net.

“I have my set spot at the beginning of the game,” Rus said of taking the penalty kick. “Every single game, I think about it. I’m [safer] with my right-hand side, and I saw the keeper move to his right-hand side, my left side, and I thought I could hit it.

“I hit it with enough power to get it past him, and I’m glad it went in.”

Huntington Beach (7-7-4, 2-1-1) had rallied to tie the score only two minutes earlier. Josh Lucas was the most persistent offensive threat for the Oilers, managing three shots on goal in the second half.

The junior forward got the call on a 22-yard free kick in the 64th minute, and he made the most of it.

“That was a beautiful set piece,” Oilers coach Sean Dick said. “Over the wall, under the bar, the keeper had no chance. Great goal.”

Fountain Valley goalkeeper Jack Nelson fails to block Huntington Beach's Josh Lucas' shot in the 64th minute of a Wave League match on Wednesday.

Dick added that a lack of organization led to both goals that his team conceded.

Fountain Valley struck first with a precision combination play in close quarters. Rus played the ball down to Dakota Whitsel, who negotiated the baseline before crossing the ball in to Pennella for a tap-in goal in the 13th minute.

“The first one, we tried to dribble out of the back,” Dick said. “We lose the ball. We just watched them go right across the baseline, play the ball across, one touch [and] in the back of the net.

“We got punished for it. You can’t make mistakes against good teams.”

Daniel Kotkosky made eight saves for the Oilers. Jack Nelson made three saves for the Barons, all of which came in the second half.

Fountain Valley lost to Huntington Beach with the league championship on the line last season. Smith remembered that and spoke about how far his team has come in handling the pressure.

“This time last year, we lost these games,” Smith said. “This year, we’re winning those games. That’s the biggest difference, I think. That’s our eighth [straight] game that we haven’t lost. In 2020, we’re undefeated, knock on wood.”