Pasadena Poly defeats Glenn in D7 title match behind Tonthat’s 3 goals

Pasadena Poly boys soccer coach Dan Sheridan, surrounded by his players, celebrates with the championship plaque after they defeated Glenn in the CIF Southern Section Division 7 final on Saturday. Photo by Nick Ingram

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By Nick Ingram

correspondent

PASADENA — Glenn had no answer for Pasadena Poly striker Momo Tonthat during the CIF-SS Division 7 championship match Saturday.

Tonthat scored three goals to lead Poly to a 3-0 victory for the team’s first CIF Southern Section crown since 2000.

“We said to each other we were going to win every first ball, be the more intense team, be the greater team and we worked harder than (Glenn) most of all,” Tonthat said. “That’s what gave us the upper hand.”

Poly (15-3-2) used its 2023-24 season as motivation coming into this season, and coach Dan Sheridan saw the progression.

“We knew we had a good group coming back,” Sheridan said. “We started a lot of freshmen last year and our team has been a team (this year). We got drubbed (early in the season) and the individual play stopped. Our guys woke up and we rolled through the playoffs.”

Glenn (15-10-2), trying to win its first CIF-SS title, had a handful of chances in the first half. In the 16th minute following a throw in, Eagles striker Ricardo Rodriguez’s shot was blocked before the deflection was cleared out.

Poly marked Rodriguez with two defenders each time he entered the offensive end, knowing how dangerous he was with the ball at his feet.

“We talked in training all week that (Rodriguez) can’t go one on one,” Sheridan said. “We drew some yellow cards. He’s a good player and you have to be aggressive. By the end of the game he was a little frustrated, but defensively that’s what you want.”

Rodriguez leaked behind Poly’s backline in the 24th minute, but his shot went wide of the cage.

“(Rodriguez being double-teamed) was an uncomfortable situation,” Glenn coach Luis David-Enciso said. “(Poly defender Noah Daniel) controlled the back, but we didn’t take advantage of the runs or other gaps they were giving us.”

Poly countered quickly. Following a throw-in, Tonthat finished Nicolas Ashjian’s cross with a header that put Poly ahead 1-0.

Tonthat and Poly continued to press Glenn’s defense in the second half. Following an Eagles chance off a throw-in that was unsuccessful, Tonthat beat his defender before his second goal put Poly up 2-0 in the 55th minute.

“I got the ball through and I had tunnel vision on the goal,” Tonthat said. “I did everything in my power to beat the defender and was able to finish in the bottom corner.”

Rodriguez was visibly frustrated after his chance in the 67th minute was denied. Tonthat kept the pressure on, moving the ball downfield before icing the game with his third goal.

“It becomes a lesson at that point,” David-Enciso said. “If you don’t put in your chances, that’s a chance at giving to the opponent. It was a manifestation of the second and third goal, especially when they have an amazing player like (Tonthat). Poly knew they’d get their chances even as we had control and dominance for the better part of the game.”

David-Enciso saw Saturday as a step in the right direction, especially for a program that was making its first CIF-SS final appearance.

“I think the magnitude of of this game, we were trying to secure a bit of comfort with our defense,” he said. “In times of desperation that’s when we wanted to play.

“As you saw as the game went by, we had our chances. Part of it is experience. Poly did an amazing job of staying composed when we were barraging them with changes. They knew how to pick us off at the right time.”