FRESHMAN’S GOAL GIVES MONARCHS FIRST CIF BANNER
Monte Vista 3, San Diego 2
Down a goal at halftime despite being the more aggressive team, Monte Vista High School girls soccer coach Levi Kealaluhi was still confident.
“We’d come back from behind 3-0 (earlier in the season), so I knew we could do it,” said Kealaluhi, unfazed by having everything that carried water poured over him after the Monarchs rallied to down San Diego High 3-2 to capture the section Division III championship at Bonita Vista High School.
“Don’t ever count us out. People called us out early, but we have belief and trust in each other.”
That basically was the gist of his halftime message for the Monarchs, who came out and scored two goals within 80 seconds to start the second half, survived the Cavers’ tying goal and then had a freshman, Marely Velazquez, deliver the title when she scored in the 60th minute.
It was the first girls soccer crown for Monte Vista (13-5-3), which suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of San Pasqual just a year earlier.
The 14-year-old Velazquez said she was worried when San Diego (13-8-1) scored late in the first half on Charlotte Ferrier’s goal from 10 yards out.
“I was really nervous, I thought we’d lose it,” said the slightly built forward with the big foot. “Coach said to give it our all, that if we worked together we’d win. When I got the ball, I didn’t think shot at first but when I looked up I knew it would make it.”
Ferrier’s goal put the Monarchs behind, but not for long.
A minute into the second half, senior Yulitza Castorena, who led Monte Vista with 22 goals this season, booted the ball out of a pack of players and it found the back of the net for the equalizer.
The Monarchs had barely finished celebrating when junior Reese Pittman broke away on the right side and was deadly accurate. Now Monte Vista was really celebrating with a 2-1 lead.
But this San Diego team, which was trying to duplicate the Cavers’ 2018 championship club, would not go away. In the 55th minute, Valentina Prado got the ball in front of the goal and drilled it home.
Then came Velazquez’s heroics.
Boys
Bishop’s 3, Mt. Carmel 2: Jordan Luo powered in the winning goal in the 57th minute to lead Bishop’s (19-1-2) past Mt. Carmel in the nightcap.
It was Luo’s second goal after he scored with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half to deadlock the contest at 2-2.
Although the Knights (191-2) led 1-0 on Wyatt Linggi’s goal to open the scoring, Mt. Carmel (12-7-3) came back just 30 seconds later on Eddie Ludington’s equalizer before Sundevils teammate Brady DeGrandmont gave his side a 2-1 advantage on a penalty kick.