To win a soccer championship you need a reliable goalkeeper, and Palos Verdes has one of the best goalkeepers in the Southland in Grayson Port.
The 6'1″ youngster is one of the many reasons the Sea Kings started the week ranked first in California and 14th in the country, and his prowess was on display Tuesday night in the Sea Kings' tense Bay League opener at Mira Costa – a match that saw Tucker Malinowski equalize in stoppage time before fellow captain LT Armijo scored the winner on a double overtime.
“He's very strong and when the ball is in the air, he demands it and hits it first,” Armijo said of Porte. “We trust him.”
Port had nine shutouts with 73 saves in 15 starts this winter and hadn't allowed a goal in 340 minutes of play – a scoreless streak that lasted four and a half games – before Noah Seder scored on the rebound of a 70th-minute corner on Tuesday to give Mira Costa a brief 1-0 lead. It was only the seventh shot behind Port all season.
“It's a great feeling because they're our rivals and I haven't beaten them before – neither of us have,” said Port, enjoying the Sea Kings' first win at Mira Costa since 2017. “There are shutouts, but as long as we win, I'm happy. Our defense is amazing – LT, Nathan Dorfman, Aiden Cruz and Dayton Chontos – our whole back line.”
Port went nearly five full games without scoring a goal during the South Tournament, finally conceding a goal in the second half of the championship game against fellow league rival Redondo Union. Palos Verdes won 2-1 in overtime.
One save that comes to mind for head coach Derek Larkins was a penalty kick with 15 minutes remaining in a non-league match on December 30 at the Sultana Stadium that kept the score scoreless. The Sea Kings scored soon after, avenging a 3-0 loss in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals last year.
“This is one of the toughest spots for a visiting team to be in, but Grayson excelled that day,” said Larkins, who is trying to lead PV to its first CIF title after back-to-back wins in 2006 (Division 4) and 2007 (Division 2). “We haven’t forgotten that loss because it ended our season and it helped us exorcise that demon.”
Last season, Port served as the backup to then-senior Ben Forte, whom he called “a good mentor.”
“I didn't get to play many games last year, maybe five or six games, but I learned a lot from Ben,” said Port, who started his soccer career in fourth grade as a midfielder but moved to goalkeeper when he was 11. “I was kind of forced into that position because I was the tallest player on my AYSO Extra team, so they needed me there. It gets on my nerves at times, but I pride myself on being the last line of defense. So what can I do or what? break the game.”
Larkins attributes the 17-year-old's growth to hard work in the off-season and credits goalkeeping coach Matthew McNab for helping Port reach their potential.
“He's receptive to coaching and has taken ownership of his game and the way he practices,” said McNab, a 2009 PV soccer graduate who went on to play at Westmont College. “He took on a leadership role. Being a goalkeeper requires a lot of mental toughness, but he handled that too.”
The two formed a strong bond.
“Matt listens to me,” said Port, who earlier this season even made a tackle from midfield to prevent a potential breakaway. “I tell him what I need to work on and he coaches me. I've improved on everything from last year… angles, positioning, shot blocking and kicking. I can be aggressive or rely on my reflexes. I use my instincts to know what to do in certain situations.”
Mira Costa has won five league championships in a row and is trying to match PV's six league championships in a row from 2011–2016. The teams will meet again on January 23.
“Going into the season, we put a lot of emphasis on how we were going to defend the box and set pieces,” Larkins said. “We conceded five goals on throw-ins and two on free kicks in our three losses to them last year. We stressed the importance of that.”
Larkins, who is also an English teacher, believes sports are a metaphor for life and likes to quote athletes, philosophers and musicians to motivate his players. This season's mantra is “be yourself, be a legend” – a lyric from the song “Breathe and Stop Freestyle” by hip-hop group Coast Contra.
“This is the best team we’ve had since 2014,” said Larkins, who is in his 15th season. “We have seven guys who are three-year varsity players. A lot of them were in high school together, so it's an older, more experienced team. We have a lot of grit, we can play different styles depending on the opponent, and we have talent.”
Palos Verdes (14-2) has won 10 straight after losing back-to-back to Santa Monica and Servite. Senior captain Willie Notek has a team-best eight goals, while forward Ian Alonso has a team-high 20 points (six goals, eight assists), while Malinowski has six goals and five assists.
