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Boys’ soccer: Two reasons why Ventura is a divisional title chaser

By Austin KnoblauchSenior Editor, Sports 

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Here’s a couple reasons why Ventura is the early season favorite to capture its first Southern Section Division title this season:

  1. REASON 1: Senior striker Eric Turner has been scoring like a madman for Cougars. Heading into their game against Dos Pueblos this afternoon/Thursday, the kid who can bench 275 and is the son of a former Oakland Raiders standout had 17 goals and 43 points on the season. ‘Eric’s a guy who brings a lot of power and speed to the table,’ Coach Todd Tackett said. ‘He’s definitely our go-to-guy up front.’

REASON 2: Senior goalie Gerritt Brown has played a huge role in Ventura’s impressive 81-8 scoring margin. Through 20 games, Brown has recorded 13 shutouts, giving him a Southern Section-record 34 for his career, according to Cal-Hi Sports.com. ‘You have to have a strong defense to go far,’ Tackett said, ‘and having a guy as talented as Brown in goal helps us with that.’

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And that’s why Ventura will win its first Channel League title since 1999 next month before making a Division II playoff assualt.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Varsity Times Insider
Austin Knoblauch

Austin Knoblauch is a senior editor in Sports at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing NFL coverage and digital initiatives. He previously worked as an editor and writer at NFL.com. He initially joined The Times in 2005, serving in various web editing and reporting roles. Knoblauch’s favorite sports are football, hockey and auto racing. He is a native of Southern California and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

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