The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Vista Murrieta pulls an OT stunner over Citrus Valley
REDLANDS >> Vista Murrieta’s girls soccer team has faced tough challenges before. So even when it looked bad in the first half, the Broncos kept their composure.
Anai Olmedo made a crucial reaction save in the first half, and Destiny Cabrera scored a golden goal near the 100th minute as Vista Murrieta managed a 1-0 victory over Citrus Valley in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 first round playoff match Wednesday night.
“We’ve played the Santiagos and the Temecula Valleys, so we knew the level that it was going to take to win and we decided to come out and give ourselves a few more chances and it paid off in the end,” Vista Murrieta coach Ryan Heise said.
It’s the first win in five matches for Vista Murrieta (8-6-6 overall), which had backed into the playoffs with one loss and three draws over the final two weeks. The Broncos advanced and will host West Torrance on Friday in a second-round matchup.
“We have a lot of potential, and once we put our minds to a goal we can do whatever we want,” said Cabrera, who has a team-leading 12 goals this season.
Olmedo was peppered in the first half but was able to keep Citrus Valley out of the back of the net, sticking a hand out to stop Ava Lopez’s
point-blank attempt in the first five minutes of the match.
“(Olmedo)’s been awesome all year and is one of the biggest reasons why we’re even here,” Heise said.
Lopez had three quality shot attempts in the first half as Citrus Valley (16-4-1) pressed the attack, hitting the cross bar twice during a 20-minute span.
The Blackhawks, the fourtime defending Citrus Belt League champions, were close to dominant in the first half but could not find a breakthrough despite nine total shots (four on goal) and loads of possession.
“We created opportunities. But that’s the thing, when you don’t capitalize you never know if you can get another one,” Citrus Valley coach Norma Mendez said.
Vista Murrieta shook off the first-half onslaught and tightened defensively after halftime, closing passing lanes and limiting balls into the Citrus Valley’s attacking third.
Neither team produced a shot on goal in the first overtime period, but Citrus Valley applied pressure late in the second overtime with three consecutive corner kicks.
On the third attempt, Vista Murrieta was able to get the ball cleared to Cabrera, who beat Citrus Valley’s last defender with pace, took one touch around the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.