Malibu soccer club wins regional title

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Malibu United striker Gabriel Bonetti (in white) fights off a defender in the championship match. Photo by Heidi Wright

Malibu United Soccer Club have been crowned champions of the Tri-Counties adult soccer league after a 2-1 victory over their league rivals, CSC76 United.

The match served as a dramatic ending to a difficult season, the middle of which had the Malibu club dropping to sixth place in a league of eight. Their winning record over the final seven games of the schedule, however, brought them to just one point behind the league leaders as they got set to face them in the final deciding match of the season.

Former Malibu High School soccer coaches James Whalen, David Simpson, and Frank Page formed the club in 2000. Their goal was to create an organization that would provide a seamless transition for the many talented young soccer players in Malibu looking for a place to continue their development after high school and college.

“Malibu United gives these players the chance to take part in competitive adult matches alongside veteran international players,” Simpson said. “The experience they receive from playing at a higher level isn’t too difficult to appreciate.”

This season United added Ben Corrodi, Lucas Bonetti, and Gabriel Bonetti to make a total of ten Malibu High School alumni on the roster. These new additions made an immediate impact with Corrodi logging an impressive eleven league goals and five assists, and Lucas Bonetti adding ten assists and eight goals of his own.

Other local standouts include Dave Keffer, who logged nine goals and three assists; Ignacio Rodriguez, a manager at Malibu Fitness, who contributed six goals; and half-centurion John Visher, the oldest Malibu High alumnus, who added two goals of his own to the season tally.

It was 20-year-old Gabriel Bonetti, however, who had the greatest impact this season with a club record nineteen league goals and a total of thirty goals in all competitions. In fact, it was Bonetti who scored the two goals that secured the league championship in the final game of the season. His second of that match came late in the game, but it was enough to give United the three points they needed to end their season on top.

Manager James Whalen, who doubles as a Malibu real estate agent, couldn’t be happier with the club’s success. “It feels good to be a part of something that we know is contributing to the community.” He added, “This year we launched a club website with match reviews and photos, so now we have fans checking in from all over the world. It’s really quite a lot of fun!”

To find out more about the club, go to www.malibuunited.com.