The Sunny Hills Lancers’ were unable to hold off a Paramount comeback that ended the Lancers’ season with a 2-1 loss Wednesday.

The Lancers were off to a perfect start when a goal by midfielder Ricardo Sanchez gave them a very early 1-0 lead.

The Pirates responded strongly to going down early and took control of Possession to pin the Lancers in their own half.

Consistent offensive build play by Pirates translated to several crosses and passes into the Lancers box.

The Lancers defensively withstood the game being played in their final third throughout the half, but could do little to keep the ball.

Under constant pressure by forwards once they intercepted a cross or pass, Lancers defenders had few choices but to clear the ball upfield and back into Paramount’s possession.

Though aimed at keeping the lead, the Lancers defensive efforts weren’t able to prevent the Pirates from requiring goalkeeper Richard Orihuela to make several saves to keep the scoreboard unchanged.

The freshman goalkeeper was tested often from shots from outside and inside the Lancers penalty box, but deflected or caught everything that went his way.

Toward the end of the half the Pirates were on the cusp of equalizing the game, but goalkeeping and defensive efforts kept the game 1-0 at the half.

The second half started like it ended, with the Pirates coming close to finding the equalizer.

In the first minutes of the half Pirates forward Christian Perez sent a header on target and beyond Orihuela’s reach that went off the post.

The Ensuing minutes after the post play saw the Lancers test Pirates goalkeeper Oscar Sierra through a shot by Diego Useda.

That would be the Lancers best chance of the half until late in the game, due to the Pirates taking over possession once more and making far more scoring chances.

Orihuela,like In the first 45 minutes, was called into action consistently in the final half.

The freshman once again kept the Lancers ahead when he reacted just in time to deflect a shot sent towards the Lancers post out for a corner kick.

As the half neared its midway point the Pirates persistency on the attack payed off.

Perez erased Sunny Hills lead when he smashed his strike from inside into the top of the net and above Orihuela to make it 1-1.

After the equalizer, Sunny Hills broke out of their defensive setup and tried to retake the lead, but it was the Pirates who came close to scoring again.

A few minutes after the goal, A free kick strike by defender Jesus Salazar aimed towards the inside of the top of the net forced Orihuela to make a big leap to hit the ball over and prevent the Lancers from going down.

In what was a sign of the game being more evenly played, in a matter of moments both teams had scoring opportunities just seconds apart.

Useda had the Lancers best chance of the half when he sent a header from inside the penalty box towards goal that although was mishandled by Sierra, was recovered by the sophomore before it crossed the line.

On the other end of the field a Pirates forward managed to take a low and driven shot which was saved by a diving Orihuela.

As the game winded down it looked like the Lancers would be heading to overtime again in the playoffs, but Pirates forward Oliver Meza had different plans.

The sophomore forward, who was celebrating his birthday, caught up to a pass played deep into the Lancers penalty box and made his through a few Lancers defender to have a clear shot on goal.

From just a few feet away from the Lancers goal Meza sent a high strike past Orihuela and into the Lancers net to complete the Pirates comeback.

In a role reversal of sorts from earlier in the game, the Lancers pressed high upfield late in search of an equalizer while the Pirates sat back with numbers behind the ball and absorbed the offensive pressure.

The Lancers increased offensive efforts were not enough to muster an equalizer, and the final whistle marked the end of their CIF playoff run, and of their season.

“I said show me that you got one more in you man, show me that you got one more comeback in you, and they showed it,” and “ they persevered,” said Paramount Head Coach Rafael Villasenor about what he told his players at the half and their second half efforts.

“Wished we could of pressed a little more and got a few more stops up high,” said Sunny Hills Head Coach Mike Schade, and later added that their was  “Just not enough time left.” for the team to produce an equalizer.

Paramount will play either Mira Costa or Jordan in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals.