ERIK BOAL on PREP SPORTS: ECR, soccer community will carry on memory of slain goalkeeper ‘Pancho’ Rodriguez

Talented goalkeepers are measured by their ability to face to the challenge of anything or anyone that comes at them without backing down.

Remarkable teammates are defined by embracing the opportunity to motivate and inspire everyone around them with a commitment never to let those people down.

Whether it was playing soccer at El Camino Real or on his Real So Cal club team, Francisco Rodriguez had developed into an elite goalkeeper as well as a charismatic leader, building trust and confidence in his teammates and creating a bond with friends, teachers and administrators at the charter high school as both a student and office aide.

That’s why it wasn’t just the ECR campus, but the local soccer community, that suffered such a tragic loss Wednesday when the 17-year-old Rodriguez, less than an hour after contributing to another shutout for the Conquistadores in a scoreless tie with West Valley League rival Taft, was shot outside his Winnetka home. he died on his way to Northridge Hospital.

His life was a showcase of energy and passion on the field, and a journey of emotional growth and maturity away from it.

“Every day he was evolving as a person and it was so great to see that side of him,” ECR athletic director Richard Yi said. “All the ladies in the office have said how much they’re going to miss seeing him and talking to him because he just brought a lot of positive energy wherever he went. everyone is just heartbroken over it right now.”

With former classmates from Sutter Middle School, past ECR players and hundreds of peers in attendance Friday at Cleveland, the Conquistadores honored Rodriguez with a 2-0 victory.

ECR coach and assistant principal David Hussey said he was emotionally spent by Thursday night, yet his players continued to demonstrate the resolve and determination Friday that was also apparent nine months ago when former Conquistadores and Chatsworth soccer player German Alex Romero was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

“This shouldn’t be something they have to deal with,” Hussey said. “It’s something that no family should ever have to go through. I have two kids and anytime I think about them, I think about Francisco.”

The thoughts of Rodriguez were apparent not only on the ECR sideline and throughout the stands, where several cheers were dedicated to the individual the Conquistadores referred to as “Pancho,” along with signs paying tribute being displayed during the match.

ECR players also wore T-shirts under their uniforms honoring the memory of both Rodriguez and Romero, along with black armbands, which were also worn by Cleveland in a gesture of class and respect by coach Mo Burgess and his players.

But the impact Rodriguez had throughout the San Fernando Valley was apparent by athletes at Crespi and Chaminade also wearing black armbands and participating in a moment of silence before their Mission League match Friday similar to the 26-second tribute — the number of Rodriguez’s jersey — held before opening kickoff at Cleveland.

ECR also took the field with only 10 field players, leaving the goal empty to start the contest, before Cleveland allowed Conquistadores goalkeeper Randdi Misrahi to enter the match after the ball was kicked out of bounds.

“(Rodriguez) still would have wanted us to play no matter what, so we had to respect his wishes. That’s how passionate he was about the game,” Misrahi said. “I just wanted to keep up everything he was doing because I didn’t want to let him down. this was the best game we’ve played in a while and it was a great pick-up for us because we really needed it.”

Hussey would often call on Rodriguez to come out of goal, replacing him with Misrahi, and move up to forward if he felt ECR’s offense needed a spark.

That lift was provided Friday by Lucas Ladek, who delivered a half-bicycle kick for the Conquistadores’ first goal, and Josh Cohen, whose perfect header off a corner kick just before halftime energized the ECR crowd.

But Misrahi and defenders Osvaldo Martinez, Carter Keene, Connor O’Leary and Cohen were determined to deliver another shutout, which they preserved by absorbing one last flurry from Cleveland in front of the net in the final two minutes that concluded with Rene Argueta’s 6-yard attempt rolling wide of the left post.

“That was Pancho shining down on us right there,” ECR assistant Ian Kogan said.

The spirit of Rodriguez will continue to shine through his teammates, both at ECR and Real So Cal, in the days ahead, which will likely be an emotional roller coaster for the Conquistadores and his closest friends at rival schools.

“He was such a personable kid, just a pleasure to interact with,” ECR assistant athletic director Vinny Orlando said. “He was making the right choices and he was in such a good place, and that’s why the reality hits home in such a big way when you think about him being gone.”

But if Friday was any indication of how ECR and the rest of the local soccer community will continue to persevere and rally in Rodriguez’s absence, then his memory is alive and well both on and off the field.

Along with the ECR fans, Cleveland gave the Conquistadores a standing ovation following the match. Just another example of the respect Rodriguez had earned both as a teammate and a competitor.

“What our 22 guys did out there (Friday), and even the Cleveland players who knew him, it’s hard to define. you can’t measure that moment,” Hussey said. “These are pretty special kids.”

<a href="http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_19746437tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_19746437Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:01:45 GMT”>ERIK BOAL on PREP SPORTS: ECR, soccer community will carry on memory of slain goalkeeper ‘Pancho’ Rodriguez

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