<I>LORI ASSA photo</I><BR>Ocean Park's Norberto Guzman, who won the goal scoring award for the season, has his shot scooped up by La Fiesta goalie Gamaliel Lomeli during the title game last week.

WARRENTON, Ore. – Forward Norberto Guzman won the award for scoring the most goals during the season but his Ocean Park soccer team lost the championship final last week.

Guzman, who plays on the Liga Hispana team sponsored by Leadbetter Farms, notched 21 goals in the lengthy season that began this spring. These included a hat-trick in the 4-0 semifinal win Aug. 2 that allowed his team to advance to the title game against defending champions La Fiesta of Longview.

After a closely fought and scoreless 90 minutes, he was the lone penalty kick scorer last Wednesday as opponents La Fiesta converted four of its kicks to take the trophy at the Warrenton Soccer Complex.

It was the third straight title for La Fiesta.

Ocean Park missed its second and third attempts in the shootout, and La Fiesta’s Adrian Lomeli hammered home the fourth clinching kick.

Ocean Park – which went 11-0-2 during the regular season – had defeated La Fiesta 1-0 earlier in the year, but the playoffs just seem to bring out the best in La Fiesta.

“It was tough, but we have a lot of players with playoff experience,” said La Fiesta’s Jose Avelar, the 2006 Liga Hispana Coach of the Year. “And things are a lot different once you get to the playoffs and finals.”

The two teams battled through 90 minutes of regulation, with no goals to show for it. There were still plenty of big-time saves from the goalkeepers and near-miss shots on goal.

Ocean Park’s Julian Meza and Bernardo Tinoco narrowly missed attempts late in the first half, while La Fiesta keeper Gami Lomeli knocked down shots by Carlos Meza and Timoteo Meza.

La Fiesta, meanwhile, missed a flurry of attempts late in the second half.

La Fiesta’s Rafael Soto stole a ball from Arturo Torres near the Ocean Park goal, but was unable to score; moments later, Torres came back to deflect a close-range shot by La Fiesta’s Armando Huanosta; and an attempt by Martin Zarasua sailed over the cross bar.

Lomeli also made a last-minute save off a direct free kick by Ocean Park’s Adrian Cervantes.

After a short break, the teams headed to the shootout.

La Fiesta’s Huanosta and Ocean Park’s Guzman both converted the opening attempts, and Zarasua made the second shot for La Fiesta.

But the next two kicks from Ocean Park were high, while Octavio Mendez and Adrian Lomeli both found the net for La Fiesta.

In the game for third place, Pumas of Astoria defeated a short-handed La Piedad team, 5-1.