Pacific wins penalty-kick shootout to beat Ganesha

If a student knows an answer in class, they raise their hand to be called on by the teacher.

If Pacific senior girls soccer player Alexia Leon is on the pitch, she waits to see if a referee raises their hand. If the hand stays down, it’s go time.

Leon scored twice as Pacific defeated Ganesha, 1-1 (4-2), in a CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoff match.

With five minutes remaining in regulation, Leon took a quick direct free kick and scored a goal to tie the game. After two overtimes failed to render a decision, Leon scored to help Pacific prevail in penalty-shot shootout.

“That was a wonderful free kick,” Pacific coach Carlos Zuniga said. “We practice that often,”

Zuniga said the key after a stoppage is to see if the official will award a direct free kick or an indirect free kick. A raised hand will indicate an indirect free kick and play can’t be automatically restarted.

Leon didn’t see a raised hand and immediately sent a kick into the goal. It not only appeared to surprise Ganesha; it was surprising to Leon’s own teammates.

“I scored a goal like that against Rubidoux earlier this year,” Leon said. “I think I caught them off guard.”

Ganesha goalkeeper Zanette Gonzalez didn’t hesitate in moving to stop the goal, but Leon’s scoring shot was well-placed.

Pacific (11-10-2) advanced to play at Century in a quarterfinal on

Wednesday.

Ganesha, the Miramonte League champion, finished the season with a 14-7-1 record.

In the first half, Ganesha appeared to have an advantage in getting effective offensive pressure. Daylene Portillo lifted the Giants to a 1-0 lead by scoring in the 27th minute. Pacific appeared sharper in the second half, as they moved quicker in arranging set plays to stay with Ganesha.

“I thought things went back and forth for most of the game,” Zuniga said.

When it came to the penalty-kick shootout, Pacific goalkeeper Rachel Gonzalez made clutch saves for the Pirates. The junior made two sliding stops to hold off Ganesha.

Leon said she usually shoots first in a shootout, but on Saturday she was third in the lineup. Placing her in the third spot gave her an opportunity to lead her team in a pivotal moment. Her shot to the left gave Pacific a 2-1 advantage.

Cassandra Ramirez converted the winning shot in the fifth round of the shootout. She put a shot in the top right corner because she felt that was her stronger side.

“I have only missed once on penalty kicks during a game,” Remirez said.

The past two victories are very meaningful to Leon because it was the first time Pacific has won in the postseason during her three years on the squad.

“Last year we finished fourth in the league and didn’t make the playoffs,” she said. “We lost in the first round when I was a sophomore, and my freshman year was the COVID year.”