Coronado boys continue historic season into 5A state soccer tourney

Coronado’s boys soccer team is rewriting the state’s record book. The Cougars have set, tied or are on the verge of breaking eight records.

The Cougars are also chasing a perfect season. They’re 26-0 and would be the second boys team to be undefeated with no ties, according to known records by the NIAA, joining Tech (23-0) in 2012.

But there’s just one spot in the record book that matters to Coronado coach Dustin Barton.

“We want to play good soccer and win the championship,” Barton said. “If we break some records on the way, that’s great, too.”

Coronado, the Southern League champion and No. 1 seed, enters the Class 5A state semifinals as the heavy favorite to defend its state title. The Cougars put their perfect record on the line when they face Wooster, the No. 2 seed from the North, at noon Friday at Coronado in a state semifinal.

Palo Verde, the South’s No. 2 seed, faces Northern champion Hug at 8 a.m. Friday in the other semifinal. The state championship game is at noon Saturday at Coronado.

Coronado is trying to be the first team since Legacy (2010 and 2011) to win back-to-back titles in the top classification.

“We’re super excited to have a chance to run it back and win another state championship, especially with such a memorable season with breaking records and being undefeated,” junior midfielder Cy Adams said. “It would go down in the history books.”

‘Pure domination’

Beating Coronado has been impossible. Scoring on the Cougars has been almost as challenging. They’re outscoring opponents 158-9 and have recorded 19 shutouts.

Coronado has tied the state record for most goals scored in a season (158) set by North Tahoe (3A, 20 games) in 1999. The Cougars’ 19 shutouts are tied with Truckee (2012) for the most in a season.

“I knew from the first game (this season) that we would have a historical season,” junior forward Dylan Flores said. “It clicked right away. Once we got that click, it was just pure domination.”

Flores and fellow junior forward Gavin Flickinger have been the best scoring duo in the state. Flores has 33 goals and 33 assists.

Flickinger, in his first season playing with Coronado, leads the state with 56 goals and is just ahead of Flores in the state lead with 35 assists.

“We made sure we haven’t gotten conservative with games,” Flickinger said. “Even when we win big, we make sure we come out in the next game looking for the same result and not getting happy or staying content.”

‘A lot of hard work’

When Coronado won the state title last year, most of its key contributors were sophomores. Adams, Flores, Logan Pierce, Grayson Elisaldez and Aiden Sena — who were all first-team All-5A selections by the coaches last season — have all returned.

With the addition of Flickinger, who has previously played on club teams with several of his Coronado teammates, the Cougars found a way to improve from last season.

Flickinger set the school record for most goals in a season (surpassing John Lynam’s 55 in 2017) and is two goals shy of tying MLS player Danny Musovski’s record of 58 goals scored in a season in the top classification (5A/4A), set in 2013 when he was at Liberty.

Barton said a goal the team had this season was to simply to score more goals than last year.

“We didn’t score and had some more close games last year than we wanted to,” Barton said. “We just wanted to score more goals this year, so we’re throwing as much offense as we can. We didn’t expect it, but it’s the result of a lot of hard work from these guys.”

All shutouts have been recorded by Pierce, who has tied the state record for most shutouts by a goalie (Truckee’s Ignacio Diaz in 2012). Adams, Elisaldez and Sena have helped anchor a suffocating midfield and defensive line that’s kept most teams off the scoreboard.

Barton has coached at Coronado since 2008 and won his first state title in 2017. He said this year has been easier with all the continuity. With the state title in sight, and the records and perfect season on the line, he said he isn’t worried about his team taking anyone lightly.

“We’ve been focused all year long,” Barton said. “I don’t have to worry about that. The kids are ready to go. … It’s exactly where we want to be at this time of the year.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.