Prep soccer: North falls in expanded All-Star event

The expanded Central Section All-Star soccer games saved the best for last.

In the only game of four across two days that was still in doubt toward the end, the South boys hung on 4-2 over the North on Saturday at Frank Skadan Stadium.

The South, with a roster made up of players from Kern County, got a goal in the 86th minute from Bryan Henriquez (Wasco High) to seal the outcome.

The North, with a roster of players from Fresno and Madera counties, had made it 3-2 in the 79th minute when Ryan Arkelian (Buchanan) corralled the ricochet of a shot by Mike Miller (Edison) that bounced of South goalkeeper Jose Vasquez (South) and fed Jose Sagrero (McLane) for the goal.

North trailed 2-0 at halftime after goals by Jacob Alatorre (Highland) and Colby Evans (Bakersfield).

Juan Lazcano (Central) helped North get back in it with a 35-yard bender of a goal 4 minutes into the second half.

“To start off down 2-0, that’s the worst any soccer team can have,” said Lazcano, who was named the North MVP. “But we didn’t give up. The point was to come and have fun, and that’s what we did.”

More than 20 players and coaches per side made the trek to the eastern Tulare County community of Lindsay to play in the first all-star game in recent memory to match squads from the northern and southern ends of the Central Section.

The event, the brainchild of Lindsay boys assistant Ben Orozco, has matched players from Tulare and Kings counties in a East vs. West format for the past seven years, including Friday when the East’s girls and boys each won 5-3.

Central’s Raul Martin coached the North boys along with help from former Grizzlies coach Daren Pittman and Roosevelt’s Joel Munoz. Martin said he reached out to Orozco as soon as he heard the event was expanding to include players from the north and south.

“The exposure is what we look for,” Martin said. “To have it played with all the best of the best from both ends of the Valley was fun. It was quality soccer. I really enjoyed it.”

So did Lazcano.

“It was fun, a great way to finish my senior year,” Lazcano said. “It was great to play with all the talent from all around the Valley.”

The South won the girls game, 3-0, on goals from Raegan Staib (Bakersfield Christian), Hannah Kind (Bakersfield Christian) and Regina Banks (Bakersfield).

For the North, Ryen Darling (Bullard) was playing her first high school game since missing the majority of her junior year with an knee injury.

“I was surprised I got picked, but real grateful to represent Bullard High,” said Darling, who had a pair of second-half shot attempts miss the mark. “It was a great experience.”

One of the section’s top players and a Bee All-Star in 2014 after producing 19 goals and 13 assists, Darling injured her left knee during an early-season tournament and proceeded to undergo two months of physical therapy. Her junior season consisted of two goals and two assists over seven games.

“I love soccer,” Darling said. “It was tough to sit out, but I supported my team in every way.”

Kaitlyn Pacheco (Clovis West) was the North’s MVP.

This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 12:48 AM with the headline "Prep soccer: North falls in expanded All-Star event."