EMPIRE LEAGUE BOYS’ SOCCER : El Dorado Rallies to Beat Cypress

El Dorado scored two second-half goals to defeat Cypress, 3-1, Friday in an Empire League boys’ soccer game at Cypress High.

The result left Esperanza and Los Alamitos, both winners Friday, with a slight edge in the tight league race. Esperanza is 3-1-1 in league play, Los Alamitos 2-0-3 and El Dorado, Cypress and Loara 2-2-1.

The depleted Centurions (10-5-3) started the game with only three healthy reserves, and by halftime, they were down to two after fullback Ken Cody took a seat because of a neck injury.

Cypress Coach Fred Leininger was so desperate for spare bodies he had backup goalkeeper Bryce Brunsting change jerseys with an injured teammate and play the second half as a midfielder.

And that’s when the Golden Hawks (7-5-5) swooped in for the kill.

After a penalty, when teammate Nathan Reish was tripped, El Dorado midfielder Brian Hurley hooked a free kick around a wall of Cypress defenders and into the right side of the goal for a 2-1 lead.

“When the ball was marked up, I saw a spot where I could bend it around the wall, and I hit it,” he said.

Hurley, who sat out last season after transferring from Servite, also scored in the first half and leads the team with 12 goals.

El Dorado cushioned its lead about 25 minutes into the second half, when Hurley lofted a free kick to the front of the net, and forward Cid Luciano headed it past Cypress goalkeeper Daryl Miller.