Inland Area Prep Soccer Top 10
1. Moreno Valley Valley View (6-1-3) – The Eagles’ forward pairing of junior Alex Turkson (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) and senior Miguel Hernandez (5-9, 150) is either the No. 1 or 1-A duo in the Inland Area.
LAST RANKED: (No. 1). LAST MATCH: d. Moreno Valley, 4-1, on 12/15.
THIS WEEK: at Moreno Valley Vista del Lago TODAY; at Riverside Ramona FRIDAY.
2. Riverside King (7-2-4) – The Wolves, winners of the Riverside Poly HS Tom Tilson Holiday Classic to end 2010, survived their first match of 2011 with a second-half goal from senior MF Carl Fitzgerald (5-11, 165).
LAST RANKED: (No. 2). LAST MATCH: tied Corona Santiago, 1-1, on 1/4.
THIS WEEK: at No. 5 Corona THURSDAY.
3. Murrieta Valley (9-3-1) – The Nighthawks get their first chance to erase the memory of a loss in the final of the Tilson Classic with two matches this week. Senior F Chris Sanders (6-2, 175) is a centre forward in the most classic sense. That makes him awfully fun to watch.
LAST RANKED: (No. 3); LAST MATCH: lost to No. 2 Riverside King, 2-1, on 12/23.
THIS WEEK: vs. Menifee Heritage TODAY; vs. Temescal Canyon THURSDAY.
4. Claremont (8-0-4) – The Wolfpack have won both the Rancho Cucamonga HS and the Upland HS tournaments, and climbs all the way to No. 4 on this week’s Inland Area Prep Soccer Top 10. This program is clearly among the area’s elite.
LAST RANKED: (No. 5). LAST MATCH: d. Fontana, 3-2 (OT), on 12/28.
NEXT MATCH: at Chino Hills on 1/12.
5. Riverside Poly (4-3-2) – The Bears drop another spot in the Inland Area Top 10 after losing their second consecutive match to an unranked team. Coach Alex Figueroa’s side needs to find a rhythm fast, or fear getting passed in the Big VIII League.
LAST RANKED: (No. 4). LAST MATCH: lost to Corona Centennial, 3-1, on 1/4.
NEXT MATCH: at Eastvale Roosevelt THURSDAY.
6. Corona (5-0-1) — In their first match in more than a month, the Panthers played to a draw with Riverside North on Tuesday. With league rival Riverside Poly struggling, coach Mike Sutherland re-enters at a time when the Big VIII is wide open.
LAST RANKED: (No. 5). LAST MATCH: tied Riverside North, 1-1, on 1/4.
NEXT MATCH: vs. Riverside King FRIDAY.
7. Riverside Arlington (5-2-2) – The Lions turned on the offense and poured in season-high four goals in a victory oer Compton Centennial on Tuesday. Coach Kevin Watson opens play in the Inland Valley League with two matches this week.
LAST RANKED: (No. 7). LAST MATCH: d. Compton Centennial, 4-1, on 1/4.
THIS WEEK: vs. Moreno Valley TODAY; at Moreno Valley Rancho Verde FRIDAY.
8. Temecula Great Oak (6-2-1) – The Wolfpack played well at the prestigious Nike SoCal Classic at San Diego Torrey Pines HS but didn’t get past the first day.
LAST RANKED: (No. 10). LAST MATCH: lost to La Canada St. Francis, 2-1, on 12/27.
NEXT MATCH: at Costa Mesa Estancia TODAY; vs. Lake Elsinore Lakeside FRIDAY.
9. Temecula Chaparral (2-3-3) — The Pumas had trouble linking passes together in a 1-0 loss to No. 2 Riverside King in a semifinal at the Tilson Classic.
LAST RANKED: (No. 8). LAST MATCH: lost to No. 2 Riverside King, 1-0, on 12/21.
THIS WEEK: at Menifee Paloma Valley TODAY; vs. Bloomington FRIDAY.
10. Riverside La Sierra (6-2-2) – The Eagles advanced from pool play at the Tilson Classic but were bumped by No. 10 Chaparral in the quarterfinals.
LAST WEEK: (No. 8). LAST MATCH: lost to No. 10 Temecula Chaparral, 2-1, on 12/21.
THIS WEEK: vs. Riverside Ramona TODAY; vs. Moreno Valley Canyon Springs FRIDAY.
JUST MISSED: San Bernardino Cajon (11-2-2), Lake Elsinore Lakeside (6-0-3), Corona Santiago (4-2-1).
INLAND FIELDHOUSE 