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CHULA VISTA -- They are known as the California Jaguars, leaving one to assume that a team nickname of Bull's Eye had already been claimed.
The Flash, refusing to adhere to the tenet of never kicking a team when it's down, recorded a season high for goals last night in shelling the Jaguars 5-1 before 1,961 at Southwestern College's Devore Stadium.
California (5-14), providing a convincing argument for its last-place standing in A-League soccer's Pacific Division, lost for the 10th straight time. In their last five games, the Jaguars, who were forced to release several players earlier this season because of financial problems, have yielded a staggering 52 goals while scoring five.
"I'm just glad I'm not one of them," said Flash midfielder Nate Hetherington, who made it 4-0 in the 44th minute of the first half when he knocked in a rebound of a shot by Kevin Legg. "The thing that scares you most about a team like that is taking them too lightly and having them come out and surprise you. If they get one goal and get on an emotional high, they start to think they can win."
Not that such thinking would have prompted a great deal of mercy on the part of the Flash (10-5), which won for the seventh straight time at home to solidify its position in second place in the Pacific Division, behind Orange County.
Perhaps more impressive is that until last night, every victory in the club's home winning streak had resulted in a shutout. That streak ended in the 71st minute when California's Joel Issac beat backup goalkeeper Tom Tate, who succeeded starter Joe Cannon at halftime. In its last eight league games, the Flash has allowed a total of three goals, one an own goal.
Hetherington said the defensive philosophy used by former Flash coach Ralf Wilhelms has not been abandoned by current coach Costa Skouras.
"If it isn't broken, why fix it?" Hetherington said. "On a narrow field like we play on, if you didn't have a strong defense you'd just get pummeled. We have some outstanding individuals on defense, but as a group they're as solid as any defense in the A-League."
Yet against a Jaguars team that entered the game having given up 15 more goals than any other team in the league, the Flash unleashed its offense, outshooting California 22-7.
Midfielder Antonio Robles, forced to sit out a 2-0 victory over Staten Island on Wednesday because of a red-card suspension, had two goals and an assist to become the first Flash player to record five points in a game.
"The sky is the limit for Antonio," Skouras said of Robles, who leads the team with 17 points and has at least one point in three straight matches. "If Antonio keeps focused and keeps working, he can go on to do some very big things in soccer. He's a little fiery, but I'd rather have a player like that than one who isn't."
After Robles made it 1-0 on a goal assisted by Eric Chaisongkram, forward Carlos "Chile" Farias notched his fifth goal of the season and his first since June 13 when he beat Jaguars goalkeeper Gregorio Guzman with a blast from 25 yards.
Midfielder Brad Smith closed the scoring for the Flash, finding the net in the 78th minute on an assist from Robles.
"We've never had any intention of letting this become a long season where we're just a .500 club," Hetherington said. "We're not going to be happy unless we're at the top."
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