Boys’ soccer: Quartz Hill’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked

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It’s easy to forget Quartz Hill has a solid defense when their offense has ripped 106 goals this season. But the Rebels (21-2-4) are built on defense, believe it or not, and they’ve only given up 13 goals.

‘My philosophy is to build a team from defense first,’ first-year Quartz Hill Coach John Volk said. ‘Our offense didn’t come into form until the second half of league.’

The Rebels have had an amazing season and, after not making it past the first round of the playoffs in the last three seasons, they’ve made it to the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals. And, after a coin flip, they’ll be hosting instead of going on the road. Quartz Hill will host top-seeded and defending co-champion Santa Margarita today at 3 p.m.

The Golden League, usually one of the stronger leagues in the Southern Section, had a bit of a down year this season. But the Rebels showed how dangerous they can be when they took care of South Coast League champion Aliso Niguel on Tuesday, 3-0.

Santa Margarita Coach Curt Bauer had nothing but praise Wednesday when reached on his cellphone to talk about Quartz Hill.

‘They defend well, they attack well ... they are really balanced,’ said Bauer, who added that he circled Quartz Hill when the pairings were announced.

Bauer was asked about Quartz Hill’s offense often, but he kept coming back to their defense. ‘This team is unique in the sense that it defends really well,’ he said.

Santa Margarita has scored one goal in each of its playoff games, so this might be a low-scoring affair. ‘I’d say it would be a low scoring game,’ Volk said, ‘but in playoffs anything can happen.”

Interesting facts about today’s game: Quartz Hill forward Eric Wageman, a junior, has scored eight goals in the last eight games. He has 26 goals on the season. ... The Rebels’ defense is a solid one, but Santa Margarita’s defense is probably the best one in the Southland. The Eagles have only allowed 10 goals this season, which leads all Division I teams. They also have not allowed more than one goal in a game. ... Future Loyola Marymount teammates Roger Downes (defender, Santa Margarita) and Logan McDaniel (midfielder, Quartz Hill) will face off. Expect the two to bump into one another on more than one occasion.