SOLEDAD—The Monte Vista Christian girls’ soccer team won the coin toss to see who would shoot first in a penalty shoot-out during Monday’s Central Coast Section Division IV quarterfinals match against Soledad High.
Senior midfielder Jana Komposch was already set on going first even though they won the coin toss, trying to get the upper hand on Soledad first.
Her plan worked as she scored the first goal for the No. 8 Mustangs, which was then followed up with scores by Julia Reiland and Maia Kilinski to help lift the Mustangs get past the top-seeded Aztecs.
MVC coach Chris Dibble said their trio of shooters put the ball on frame right where it was supposed to be.
Sophomore goalie Alexa Malespina had one save and allowed one goal in the shoot-out. Dibble said that all the other shooters for Soledad were off frame and they prevailed before sending out the Mustangs’ final shooter.
MVC’s win came after a bizarre twist of events that followed Saturday’s meeting between both teams, in which the Aztecs initially won, 1-0.
But after further review and discussion by the CCS, there was an officiating error that led to two additional five-minute overtime periods that shouldn’t have taken place.
Per CCS rules, the game should have ended after two 10-minute overtime halves and gone into a penalty shoot-out. The officials went by National Federation of State High School Associations rules, which has two five-minute overtime halves after the original two 10 minute halves.
MVC Athletic Director Matt Coleman said they officially protested to the CCS committee after the match. They asked them to consider ending the match per CCS postseason guidelines.
“Whether we win or lose, we want to give our girls the opportunity to end it as it should have been, via PK’s,” Coleman said. “We appreciate and value that CCS listened and we are fortunate to be given this opportunity.”
The CCS committee ruled in favor of MVC, giving them new life and a chance to end the game on a penalty shoot-out. Coleman said he appreciated that CCS Commissioner David Grissom listened to their side and the consideration.
“We respect Soledad, their coaches, players and hate that we have been out in this situation,” Coleman said. “No doubt life lessons for all involved.”
Dibble said he was glad that CCS representatives were willing to understand and resolve the discrepancy. Especially after he learned of another playoff game that was decided per the CCS rules established on their web page.
“However, we all feel remorse for the Soledad players, coaches and families,” Dibble said. “They had no part in the error and the anger I heard from fans after the game is very understandable.”
Dibble said they appreciated the opportunity to showcase their players’ abilities and now they look forward to playing Salinas once again. The Mustangs lost to the Cowboys, 4-0, in a competitive game on Dec. 7. Dibble said it was early in the season and they were missing several players that evening.
“I approach the game with respect for the Salinas players and coach and look forward to a spirited game,” he said.
The Mustangs (11-7-3) will play at No. 4 Salinas (7-3-7) on Wednesday at 5pm.
Boys soccer
Watsonville 2, Lincoln 0 (OT): Comebacks are always exciting, especially when they are long overdue.
The Wildcatz not only moved on to the CCS semifinals but they shut out the Lions, who defeated Watsonville earlier in the season.
Senior Goalkeeper Edgar Angel recorded the clean sheet for the ‘Catz.
“It was exciting, last year they eliminated us in the semifinals. Earlier this year, they took us out in the final for a tournament,” he said.
Angel said it was really important to win against the Lincoln, especially for the seniors on the team.
The Lions have had the Wildcatz’s number in recent years, including last year’s loss in the CCS D-1 semifinals and again in 2017 in the championship match.
This season, Lincoln defeated Watsonville in the Gold Division final for the Homestead Christmas Cup.
“I didn’t want to go out to the same team again,” Angel said.
Senior forward Mateo Arias opened up scoring for the ‘Catz in the first overtime period off of a corner kick. Senior forward Oscar Herrera extended the lead in the second overtime period.
“A win tonight means a lot to us,” Arias said. “It feels awesome to beat them here at home.”
The Wildcatz are no stranger to CCS, and neither is coach Roland Hedgpeth. In his 50th year of coaching soccer, he has nine CCS soccer titles in 16 championship appearances since his first CCS final game in 1988.
“This is just as exciting as any other time really,” Hedgpeth said. “These kids work so hard.”
Hedgpeth said Lincoln was a very good team, but in the end the ‘Catz prevailed.
“Before we were playing hard and individually, now we’re playing as a team and doing what we need to do.”
Aragon 3, Aptos 2 (PK): The No. 8 seed Mariners were eliminated from the postseason after a loss to the Dons in their D-I quarterfinals match on Saturday.
Esteban Garcia and Jack Curran scored for the Mariners, and goalie Ulises Hernandez made two blocks in the shoot-out.
Aptos kept pace with the top-seeded Dons throughout 100 minutes of action, nearly pulling off the upset. The Mariners finished the season with a 13-4-2 overall record.
Summit Prep 3, Ceiba 0: The No. 4 Spartans were shut out in their D-IV opener to the No. 5 Huskies on Feb. 19.
Ceiba finished the season with an 8-6-2 overall record.
*Additional reporting by Lucia Meza
