Valley’s citrus belt yields two elite soccer programs

Tucked amidst acres of orange orchards that have helped Tulare County’s $1.67 billion citrus industry, another crop has been thriving: Boys soccer at Lindsay and Farmersville high schools.

The two schools, separated by about a dozen miles, have built an amazing pedigree over the last few years.

▪ Lindsay head coach Tony Godoy, now in his eighth season, has seen his last teams go 132-38-14, including a 13-1 record this season that has helped put the Cardinals atop the Central Section Division IV rankings.

▪ Farmersville head coach Michael Jordan, the only soccer coach the Aztecs have had, passed the 400-win mark on Dec. 10, and has this season’s team at 18-2 atop the Central Section Division V rankings.

Wednesday, Lindsay captured the first leg of the Champions Cup 3-1, thanks to a converted penalty kick by senior Daniel Pérez and a booming, 30-yard shot by senior teammate Chris Macías.

Both scores in the first 14 minutes of play at Frank Skadan Stadium – plus a strong Lindsay defense that kept Farmersville top scorer, José Solís, at bay – allowed the Cardinals to win its third straight match in a friendly rivalry.

“I don’t think we’ve had many games where we score two or three goals before the half, let alone the first 15 minutes,” said Godoy. “I think that put Farmersville under more pressure to kind of get into the game, and, luckily, we didn’t let them.”

“This is easily the toughest opponent the whole season,” said Godoy, whose only loss this season was 1-0 to Division I Liberty High of Bakersfield. “We knew this was going to be a tough matchup.”

Godoy said the Farmersville rivalry will serve well for the upcoming playoffs in three weeks. Prior to that, Farmersville hosts Lindsay on Feb. 2 in a rematch.

Containing Solís, who went into the match having scored 35 goals, was senior Jorge Villanueva’s task.

“I pick him against anybody,” said Godoy about Villanueva’s defensive skills. “We got a really top notch game from him.”

Solís has scored 109 goals in his high school career.

Lindsay also resorted to three defenders, and used the rest of the team to dictate the pace of the game.

“They are a premier program, and we enjoy the opportunity to play the best in our league (East Sequoia),” said Jordan. “Once they got the two goals in the first 14 minutes of play, it seemed like they controlled the game.

“That was too big a hole for us to come back.”

Jordan credited his players for fighting through the end. “Even if we’re down 3-0, we just keep coming.”

Lindsay’s Andrés Pérez scored in the 48th minute to give the home team the 3-0 advantage. Farmersville senior midfielder Félix Zárate scored in the 66th minute.

Lindsay goalkeeper Ángel Nieto played a strong game.

“He’s really impressive because he just started playing goalie like four years ago,” said Godoy. “He’s always been really athletic. He’s very coordinated with his hands, and it’s very nice knowing that he’s going to stop some really good shots.”

Friendly rivalry continues

Both coaches praise each other’s soccer program, and say this year’s teams build off their legacy.

“They want to keep the tradition going,” said Godoy, who believes this year’s squad is one of the school’s best. “It’s just as good as the section championship we had in 2016. Definitely one of the best defenses I’ve ever had.”

Lindsay has yielded nine goals in 14 games.

“I don’t expect either team to blow out either team,” said Jordan, whose team had outscored its opponents 83-18 going into the Lindsay game.

Jordan said his players “relish the opportunity” to duplicate the success of previous teams.

“The kids are always excited to put on the jersey that says Aztecs,” said Jordan, whose teams have won 11 league and five section titles. “The guys who won our first Valley title or first league championship are still involved with the guys who are playing this year.

“We’re a soccer family.”

Godoy didn’t hesitate when asked about what makes Lindsay soccer a success.

“These kids come from hardworking families that work in the fields. I think they try to mirror their parents’ work ethic. They see them wake up super early, to go do hard work,” he said. “They translate that on the field. They treat practices as if they were games.”