Boys’ Soccer: Alcantara leads Newport Harbor’s surge

The summer going into his freshman year, Alan Alcantara faced a tough decision with regard to his high school future. He had two options, go to Early College or Newport Harbor.

Early College, a college preparatory educational program, was Alcantara’s first choice. Then Alcantara and his mother, Paula, talked to Juan Mares, the boys’ soccer coach at Newport Harbor.

“He was thinking about going to Early College, which is a different program through [the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and] which doesn’t have sports,” Mares said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh man, this kid is very talented.’

“I just [told his mom] Newport Harbor is a good school. Not only would he be able to play soccer [at Newport Harbor], but he’ll still be able to get a very good education.”

Alcantara chose Newport Harbor, and four years later, he’s on his way to UC Riverside to play for its men’s soccer program. On Wednesday, the senior signed his national letter of intent with the Highlanders.

Newport Harbor held a ceremony inside its gym for Alcantara and the handful of seniors committing to their respective colleges. While Paula was unable to make the event recognizing her son because she was working, Alcantara knows how proud his mother is of him.

“When I showed her the letter, she was just so happy. She couldn’t stop smiling,” Alcantara said. “It was, like, a really big accomplishment, not just for me, but, like, for her. All she really cares about is that I go to college. She’s like, ‘If you can play soccer, it’s good also.’”

Paula cannot always attend all of her son’s soccer matches because of her work hours as a nurse’s assistant. As a striker, Alcantara can score goals. The goals Paula champions are the ones Alcantara has reached in the classroom.

School comes first for Alcantara, who’s taking five Advanced Placement courses in his final year. He said he has a 3.5 grade-point average, and that’s with him playing soccer and being the man in the house since he enrolled at Newport Harbor.

Alcantara’s father, Adan, an undocumented immigrant, was deported to Mexico by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency when Alcantara was starting his freshman year. Alcantara said his dad is still in Toluca, near Mexico City, and he talks to him over the phone every Sunday. The message from Adan is always the same.

“Just, like, make sure you’re doing everything good, you’re doing well in school, make sure everything is well at home, and soccer-wise, just make sure you’re doing your thing,” Alcantara said his father tells him.

Alcantara knows no other way. He has his mom’s work ethic. Paula is a tireless worker and leads by example.

The Sailors have responded to her son’s drive on the field. Through action, Alcantara has led the charge to keeping the Sailors’ CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff hopes alive. The team has won three straight Sunset League matches.

After going winless in the first five league contests, Newport Harbor has turned it around in the second half of league, outscoring opponents, 11-4. Mares tweaked the lineup a little after seeing his team suffer five consecutive one-goal setbacks in league. He moved Marlon Nava, a senior defender, up top with Alcantara to provide more muscle, allowing Alcantara to become more of a threat.

Alcantara has been a force during Newport Harbor’s winning streak, recording three goals and four assists. He has eight goals on the season, and with two matches left in league, at home against Huntington Beach on Friday at 5 p.m. and at Edison on Wednesday at 5 p.m., Mares needs Alcantara to keep producing.

The Sailors, who are 3-5 in league, enter Friday in a three-way tie for fourth place with Los Alamitos and Marina. The top three teams earn automatic postseason berths, and Alcantara has helped Newport Harbor finish third in each of the past two seasons.

“We just got to make sure and keep winning,” said Mares, whose team is 9-9-3 overall. “If we win our last two games and some other teams do us a favor, we could actually come in second place. I haven’t told my players that yet. I just want them to focus on [Friday’s] game, senior night.”

Senior night is always a special event for the players and their families. Mares has eight seniors to honor, and only two have been with the varsity program for four seasons. One of those is Alcantara, whom Mares calls the most talented player he has coached during his five seasons at Newport Harbor.

Mares understands why Alcantara’s father won’t be there for his son on senior night. He said he could relate a little to Alcantara’s situation.

“My junior year [in high school] my parents divorced, and then my dad took off,” said Mares, who played at Jesuit in Portland, Ore. “I understood where [Alcantara] was coming from when the father figure is not there.

“[Friday] is our senior game, so hopefully his mom will be there to come down [to] the field [after the match] and present with his senior gift.”

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Alan Alcantara

Born: Dec. 5, 1996

Hometown: Costa Mesa

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 145 pounds

Sport: Soccer

Year: Senior

Coach: Juan Mares

Favorite food: Hamburgers

Favorite movie: “Inception”

Favorite athletic moment: “When I was at Ensign and I scored in the final. We ended up being co-champions … with TeWinkle.”

Week in review: Alcantara recorded two goals and three assists in the Sailors’ two wins in Sunset League play.