Edison boys’ soccer upsets top seed Loyola in CIF Division 1 quarterfinals

Before the start of overtime, Edison High boys’ soccer coach Charlie Breneman asked his players to take a moment to imagine the dogpile that would ensue if one of them put away the game-winning goal.

The Chargers visualized the goal, and when it came, so did the crowd from the sideline.

Sander Booij was swallowed in a sea of humanity after scoring the golden goal late in the second overtime to give host Edison a 2-1 upset win over top-seeded Los Angeles Loyola on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

“It was way crazier [than what I imagined],” Booij said of the celebration. “Everyone just piled on. I didn’t know what was happening at the end.”

Edison (16-5-5) will be at San Clemente (20-2-4) for its semifinal match on Saturday. The South Coast League champion Tritons defeated Santa Ana 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Kai Peterson had one of the best seats in the house to watch the game winner go in. The junior forward dribbled the ball down the right sideline. He got in behind the Loyola defense before sliding to keep the ball in play and direct it into the box for Booij, who placed the ball inside the near post.

“That was crazy,” Peterson said. “I just lay there, and it was just the best feeling ever.”

In stoppage time, Peterson had made a similar play to set up Chase Bullock, but the senior captain struck a shot that sailed just wide of the right post. The referee’s whistle sounded immediately after the play to signal the end of regulation.

Peterson said he felt confident that he would get a chance to make another play for the team after that.

“I beat the guys down the line there a couple of times in the second half,” Peterson said. “I knew that if I kept getting the ball and taking it with speed down the line, I’d get another chance.”

Loyola (24-2-2), ranked No. 1 in California by TopDrawerSoccer.com, had not lost in the state this season. The Cubs came in having scored at least two goals in a contest 19 times on the campaign.

Breneman said that the game plan was to be strong defensively, and he certainly got that from his back line of Padric Pigeon, Patrick Keough, Wyatt Burris and Nick Morrell.

“Keeping with the belief, keeping with the hard work got us some chances, and it felt like it was coming,” Breneman said. “It’s just a matter of time, getting a good chance, and we were going to poke one.

“It felt like it was coming. That’s a really good team. They’re about as good as high school teams get on the ball and the way they try to play. It’s soccer, and on any given day, anything can happen.”

The Chargers struck for the first goal in the 26th minute. Chandler Kane, a throw-in specialist, subbed in to take a long throw. Bullock got the first touch on the ball in the box. It went to the back post, where Burris was able to score on a header.

Loyola wasted no time in evening the score, doing so in the 31st minute. James Gannon scored on an uncontested shot in the box after Grayson Doody did the work to beat the Chargers’ last defender.

Bennett Flory made seven saves for the Chargers.

In three years on varsity, Bullock has won three league championships, including the first Surf League crown this year. None of those moments compare to upsetting the No. 1 team in CIF.

“This is way better than that,” Bullock said. “This is so much more than those league titles. This is the farthest we’ve been since I have been here.”

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