AYSO Region 97: Rhinos finish second

COSTA MESA - The AYSO Region 97 Division 5 all-stars “A” team, the

Rhinos, took runner-up in the eight-team Costa Mesa Classic Tournament

last weekend.

After a scoreless tie against the Costa Mesa Galaxy in game one, the

Rhinos responded with a 3-0 win over the South Irvine Firecrackers.

Goals were scored by Adrian Buonanoce, Gerardo Avila and Jake Kalwitz,

with solid play coming from Andrew Wilson, Andrew Kaban, Brandon Parole

and Garrett Heiser.

In the semifinals, the Rhinos blanked a tough San Diego club, 4-0, on

two goals from Wilson and single tallies from Buonanoce, Avila.

Fullback Taylor Friend played solid at fullback, while Kyle Caldwell,

Jamie Galey and Nicholas Sheffield added assists for the Rhinos.

In the finals against North Irvine, the Rhinos continued to get strong

goaltending by Avery Paulson, who had 20 saves in the tournament.

Despite the 1-0 overtime loss, strong play from Calvin Jhunjhnuwala,

R.J. D’Cruz and Erik Bonn kept the game close for the Rhinos.

Regional all-star play begins for the Rhinos on Jan. 22.