Greyson Porth, Palos Verdes knock off Mira Costa

To win a championship in soccer a dependable goalkeeper is a must, and Palos Verdes has one of the Southland’s best in Greyson Porth.

The 6-foot-1 junior is one of many causes the Sea Kings started the week ranked No. 1 in California and No. 14 in the nation, and his talent was on show Tuesday evening in the Sea Kings’ tense Bay League opener at Mira Costa — a match that featured Tucker Malinofsky’s equalizing purpose in stoppage time before fellow co-captain LT Armijo netted the winner in double time beyond regulation.

“He’s very strong and when the ball’s in the air he calls for it and gets there first,” Armijo said of Porth. “We trust him.”

Porth has 9 shutouts with 73 saves in 15 begins this winter and didn’t permit a purpose for 340 minutes of motion — a scoreless streak lasting 4 and a half video games — before Noah Szeder snapped it on a rebound off a nook kick in the seventieth minute Tuesday to give Mira Costa a short-lived 1-0 lead Tuesday. It was only the seventh shot to get behind Porth all season.

“It’s a great feeling because they’re our rivals and I hadn’t beaten them before — none of us had,” Porth said while savoring the Sea Kings’ first win at Mira Costa since 2017. “Shutouts are up there but as long as we win, I’m happy. Our defense is awesome — LT, Nathan Dorfman, Aiden Cruz and Dayton Chontos — our whole back line.”

Porth went almost 5 full video games without being scored on during the South Tournament, finally giving up a purpose in the second half of the championship match versus another league rival Redondo Union. Palos Verdes prevailed 2-1 in time beyond regulation.

One save that comes to thoughts for head coach Derek Larkins was on a penalty kick with quarter-hour left in a nonleague contest Dec. 30 at Sultana that stored it scoreless. The Sea Kings scored shortly thereafter to avenge a 3-0 defeat in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals last yr.

“It’s one of the hardest places for a visiting team to win but Greyson came up huge that day,” said Larkins, who is attempting to lead PV to its first CIF title since back-to-back crowns in 2006 (Division 4) and 2007 (Division 2). “We haven’t forgotten that loss because it ended our season and he helped us exorcise that demon.”

Porth was the backup last season to then senior Ben Forte, whom he called a “good mentor.”

“I didn’t get to play much last year, maybe five or six games, but I learned a lot from Ben,” said Porth, who began his soccer profession in fourth grade as a midfielder but switched to goalie when he was 11. “I sort of got forced into the position because I was the tallest player on my AYSO Extra team so they needed me there. It’s nerve-racking at times but I take pride in knowing that I’m the last line of defense. So I can make or break the game.”

Larkins attributes the 17-year-old’s growth to arduous work in the offseason and credit goalie coach Matthew McNab with serving to Porth attain his potential.

“He’s receptive to learning and he’s taken responsibility for his game and the way he practices,” said McNab, a 2009 PV soccer alum who went on to play at Westmont College. “He’s taken up the leadership role. Being a goalkeeper requires a great deal of mental toughness but he’s taken to that, too.”

The two have shaped a tight bond.

“Matt listens to me,” said Porth, who even made a slide sort out from midfield to thwart a potential breakaway earlier this season. “I tell him what I need to work on and he drills me. I’ve improved everything from last year…. angles, positioning, my shot blocking and my kicking. I can be aggressive or rely on my reflexes. I use my instincts to know what to do in certain situations.”

Mira Costa has gained 5 consecutive league championships and is attempting to equal PV’s string of six in a row from 2011-16. The groups sq. off again January 23.

“Something we emphasized heading into the season is how are we going to defend the box and set pieces,” Larkins said. “We gave up five goals off of throw-ins and two on free kicks in our three losses to them last year. We’ve stressed the importance of that.”

Larkins, who is also an English instructor, believes sports activities is a metaphor for life and likes quoting athletes, philosophers and musicians to encourage his gamers. This season’s mantra is “be yourself, be legendary” — a lyric from the hip-hop group Coast Contra’s “Breathe and Stop Freestyle.”

“This is the best team we’ve had since 2014,” said Larkins, who is in his fifteenth season. “We have seven guys who are three-year varsity players. A lot of them went to middle school together so it’s an older, more experienced team. We’ve got a lot of grit, we can play different styles depending on the opponent and we have the talent.”

Palos Verdes (14-2) has gained 10 straight since back-to-back one-goal street losses to Santa Monica and Servite. Senior co-captain Willie Knotek has a team-best eight objectives, ahead Ian Alonzo has a team-high 20 factors (six objectives, eight assists and Malinofsky has six objectives and 5 assists.