A fearless goalkeeper and phenomenal leader is the heart and soul of the CIMS soccer team
Christopher De La Cruz remembers an uneasy feeling in his gut before the season starter.
De La Cruz was approached by Doug Rand, the Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy head coach, about switching from a defender to playing goalkeeper.
De La Cruz was reluctant.
Mostly out of fear.
“I was afraid of the position because kids (at this level) are amazing,” De La Cruz said Tuesday night after his third clean-sheet of the postseason. “They fire off hard shots, very hard shots. I knew there would be times that I would have to go out for the ball. There were a lot of things that went through my mind.”
De La Cruz came up with several key saves Tuesday night as the Cougars beat Hawthorne Math & Science Academy 2-0 in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 playoffs.
More: Here are the High Desert teams still alive in the CIF-SS basketball and soccer playoffs
“That goalie. He’s something, alright,” said Daniel Lopez, who scored both goals in the match. “I’m so proud of him for the way he’s stepped up for us all year long.”
Before the season started, Lopez showed the true signs of being the team leader. A four-year varsity player and a captain this season, he played a big part in helping De La Cruz overcome that fear of switching to goalkeeper.
Lopez remembers seeing De La Cruz in class one day with his head down. He had heard De La Cruz didn’t want to play goalie.
Lopez approached his teammate to offer some encouragement.
“Bro, you’re like one of the best goalies out here. You’ve saved so many penalties, so many goals that I know other keepers wouldn’t be able to,” Lopez recalls telling De La Cruz.
Rand isn’t surprised one bit that Lopez helped De La Cruz.
“That is a guy that will be missed,” Rand said of Lopez, a senior. “He’s not just a phenomenal player, but he’s someone that is all in. He’s just a team player.”
The playoff run
The Cougars are moving on to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history. The 2018-19 squad also made a run to the quarterfinals.
The run began with a wild-card round 4-0 victory against Compton Early College, followed by another 4-0 victory over Verbum Dei Jesuit on Feb. 9.
But the CIMS defensive prowess runs back to the last half of the regular season. In 10 games since Jan. 10, the Cougars have allowed eight goals, with three of them coming in a loss to University Prep. De La Cruz has been credited with five clean sheets in that stretch.
It’s something that boils down to Rand’s philosophy when it comes to the action on the pitch.
“I’m defensive minded,” Rand said. “Our goal is to not allow any goals. The rest will come to us. That’s what we work our asses off in practice. All the hard work that they’ve put in has paid off, it’s showing and I’m so proud of them.”
A rough patch
The Cougas began the season back in November on a high note with a 5-1 victory over Yucca Valley.
But after that, they lost four straight games against tough competition, including Oak Hills and Victor Valley.
Further proving his role as team captain, Lopez didn’t let the string of losses in that Oak Hills tournament mess with the team’s morale.
“I remember trying to motivate the team and saying this tournament is to help us grow as a team, strengthen our bond and get us ready for the season and playoffs,” Lopez said. “I really thought those losses helped us. Playing us against those tough teams really did that to get us ready for CIF.”
The Cougars won four of the next five games to close out the 2023 portion of the schedule, including a 2-1 victory over University Prep, which they lost to 3-1 during the losing streak.
The Cougars punched a ticket to the playoffs with a second-place finish in the Cross Valley League standings.
CIMS ended the regular season 6-2 to reach the playoffs.
“This is a great group of guys,” Rand said. “They really understood after I explained that they were playing Division 2, 3 and 4 schools. I knew that going into that tournament that it may not be fun because nobody likes to lose. But it made them get better. It made me coach better. There’s a reason for the madness, I guess. It doesn’t always work out. But it paid dividends for us this year.”
They said it
Lopez on taking a penalty kick with a 1-0 lead late in the second half: “It was nerve racking. That’s why I just kind of stood there, thinking where am I going to go. Just went with my gut, and placed it to the right. That was a proud moment for me.”
Rand on approaching De La Cruz before the season started: “Christian actually plays better on the field on defense. I’ve known him a lot of years and I said ‘I need you to drink the Kool-Aid. I need you to come out and be our goalie.’ He’s done it for my rec team during the fall, and he’s just done really well. His maturity and size, which is something you can’t teach, paid dividends today.”
De La Cruz’s secret to getting over the fear of being the goalkeeper: “Just having my teammates around me. They helped me overcome those challenges.”
What’s next
The Cougars will ride their seven-game winning streak into the quarterfinals at home Thursday night against Desert Hot Springs, which beat Buckley 3-2, for the quarterfinals.
Desert Hot Springs is 12-6-2 and has outscored opponents 71-32 on the season and is the No. 3 ranked team in the Division 7 coaches poll. Hawthorne MSA entered the second round at No. 6 in the poll.
Lopez said the Cougars will get back to work and focus on what they can simply control.
“We really need to work on our communication and I feel like we need to open up wider, to get the ball moving around and switched around,” Lopez said.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: CIF-SS Playoffs: CIMS is moving on to the Division 7 quarterfinals
