PLACENTIA — With so many high school sports being played at once this spring, it’s easy to overlook exceptional seasons for some of the local teams.

The Valencia boys soccer team has put the other teams in Orange County — and perhaps beyond — on notice that its 14-game winning streak to start the 2021 campaign might be the beginning of something special.

The Tigers (14-0 overall, 6-0 Empire League) are ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division 2, No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps and recently claimed the top spot in a national poll by United Soccer Coaches.

Valencia coach Barry Gardner sees similarities between his current team and the program’s 2009 side that won the school’s lone CIF-SS title in soccer.

“This team is consistent throughout the field and we have some good depth coming off the bench, which is what was consistent in 2009,” Gardner said.

Senior forward Mark Gutierrez, who leads the team with 14 goals, has visions of championship glory.

“We all love this sport and we all show it,” Gutierrez said. “We’re all competitive and we all want that ring for CIF.”

Goalkeeper Anthony Chavoya believes that he and the team’s back line are both peaking at the right time.

“I feel like our performance is getting better and better,” Chavoya said. “At the beginning of our season we were a little bit shaky, but right when we got into the last game (before league play) where we beat Newport Harbor 3-0, that’s when we started to get into a rhythm.”

Since that clean sheet against the Sailors, the Tigers have had three more shutouts, keeping league opponents Cypress, Pacifica and Kennedy off the scoresheet.

“It all starts in the back and the defenders really have a big impact in the middle, which helps me get into better positions to score,” Valencia forward Ryan Franco said.

Franco (12 goals) thinks senior leadership has played a huge role in the Tigers’ success.

“Last season we had a rough season, but this year I feel like everybody just has a better relationship,” Franco said. “Most of our team is basically seniors and we’ve grown up all throughout our four years here.”

Gardner, who has coached at Valencia since 2001 and been the head coach since 2006, enjoys the strong defensive presence the Tigers have in the back, and a good leader in goalkeeper Chavoya.

“Logan Garcia is a four-year varsity kid, Jackson Hartman and Jack Yeager are both three-year starters, so all those guys have so much experience to bring to the table,” Gardner said of his defenders.

Hartman, a senior center back with seven goals, credits Gardner with a smart approach to managing the team’s workload in preparation for a deep playoff run.

“The best thing about Coach Gardner is he’s definitely understanding.” Hartman explained. “He’ll let us take days off to recuperate and a lot of our practices have been more tactical rather than a lot of hard work and running. It’s definitely shown itself on the field when we’re more fit.”

A win on Friday, April 30 at Tustin would clinch a league championship for the Tigers, their first since the 2018 season.

The Tillers, ranked No. 5 in CIF-SS Division 2, are the two-time defending Empire League champions and will be a difficult test for Valencia.

“It’s going to be a physical game,” Gardner said of the upcoming matchup. “The league championship has gone back and forth between our two schools, so Friday will be all in, on both ends.”

Valencia has CIF-SS championship aspirations once again and is looking to add some new hardware to their trophy case.

“I think we have a good shot of winning CIF this year,” Gardner said. “These boys that are seniors, that’s the thing they keep talking about. It would mean so much, especially in a year like this.”

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