Nine Warriors on boys soccer all-league teams

The Valley League boys soccer coaches placed nine Fallbrook High School players on all-league teams.

Julian Cortes, Matt Bridgeman and Omar Diaz were named as members of the Valley League first team. Jake McBroom and Eric Ruiz were recognized at the second-team level. Honorable mention distinction was bestowed upon Ishmael Guadarrama, Roberto Ortega, Andres Ramos and Camillo Ruiz. All nine of those players are seniors.

“I’m very happy,” Fallbrook coach Jorge Rojas said of having nine all-league players.

Fallbrook finished second in the league standings with a 6-1-3 record. The loss was in the final game to CIF Division IV champion Mission Vista.

“It speaks for itself,” Rojas said of nine of his players earning all-league accolades from the other coaches.

Fallbrook had an overall record of 8-9-5 and overcame a 2-8-2 record entering league play to challenge San Pasqual High School for the Valley League championship.

“I believe that earned them the recognition,” Rojas said of the team’s turnaround.

Cortes played defender for the Warriors. He was the runner-up for league player of the year honors.

“Julian was consistent. As a defender he definitely competed at a very high level,” Rojas said. “Athletically he competed among the top scorers. He shut a couple of them down, which impressed a lot of coaches. We were proud of the effort and time Julian invested in our team this season.”

Bridgeman was also a defender.

“Matthew Bridgeman is an exemplary student-athlete, extremely disciplined,” Rojas said. “He’s been a pleasure to work with.”

Diaz was a center midfielder.

“I think Omar was a very dynamic center midfielder,” Rojas said. “He’s a good person to have on the field because he takes on a leadership role.”

McBroom played center back. Eric Ruiz was a center midfielder as was Ramos. Guadarrama was a defender. Ortega was Fallbrook’s goalkeeper. Camillo Ruiz played forward.

Fallbrook had six league shutouts during 2018-2019, including five in which the Warriors were victorious, and 10 shutouts for the overall season including seven shutout wins.

The Warriors had five consecutive shutouts, including four consecutive shutout wins, during league play. The 2018-2019 season also included three consecutive shutouts in December although two of those were scoreless ties.

“They definitely polished their game in the back,” Rojas said.

The Warriors had not had five consecutive shutouts or four consecutive shutout wins since Rojas became Fallbrook’s head coach in 2012.

“It was definitely a great achievement,” Rojas said. “Overall I’m very proud of the team the way they responded after a tumultuous start.”

The Warriors lost their first five games of the 2018-2019 season and followed that with a 2-3-2 performance to conclude pre-league competition.

“The boys took some time to really reflect,” Rojas said. “They polished a lot of their technical abilities. That set us up to make a good run.”

The Warriors were outscored by a cumulative 21-10 margin in their first 12 games. Fallbrook had a 13-9 cumulative scoring advantage in the Warriors' 10 league games. The Warriors were 1-4 in preleague games decided by one goal and 5-0 in Valley League contests with a one-goal difference.

“I couldn't be more proud to have a great group of young men to pull it together, be proactive and finish the season with almost a perfect run for the league championship,” Rojas said.

This year’s Fallbrook team included 14 seniors including the nine all-league players.

“We will be missing all of the seniors,” Rojas said. “I look forward to the young ones stepping up.”