The three days of the tournament would just serve as a final tuneup for the Monarchs before they begin the Trinity League season next week.

His team, he believed, just didn’t have the consistency yet to compete with the county’s best.

Well, so much for that.

Chris Zamarippa, Kyle MacLeod and Justin Oloriz each scored a goal, helping the Monarchs slip past Fullerton, 3-2, in the championship match of the prestigious tournament.

“We have seen a lot of large progressions,” Thomas said of his team. “We came across a variety of different teams and styles of play. It was a great exercise for us. To win it was a bonus.

"I didn’t think we had reached our peak yet. The idea of the tournament was to get some momentum, and I think we got that.”

Momentum belonged to Fullerton in the early going of the game as Hector Lopez gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, taking control of the ball while Mater Dei was trying to clear.

Ten minutes later, Zamarippa scored on a header, his fourth goal in two games, to tie the score, 1-1. However, Zamarippa had to leave the game in the second half after reinjuring his sprained left ankle.

Just three minutes into the second half, the Indians (8-3-1) were in the lead again, 2-1, thanks to a goal from Joel Barrios.

After that, though, the Indians drew a couple of yellow cards and Mater Dei scored two unanswered goals.

“We lost our focus a bit in the end, and we didn’t match up real well size-wise,” Fullerton coach George Shumaker said. “But we will bounce back.”

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