The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Hemet overwhelms Ontario Chr., earns title shot
ONTARIO >> Hemet’s girls soccer team scored first, second and third to again secure its place in a final.
Bridget Arnold opened the scoring in the 13th minute and Tyariz Hernandez added two more goals before halftime as Hemet defeated Ontario Christian 4-2 on Friday night in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 semifinals.
“Sometimes we get a little tight, so to come out on the road and get some early goals felt good,” Hemet co-head coach Craig Dwinnell said.
Hernandez hit twice from distance as Hemet (16-2-3) extended its season-long unbeaten streak to 11 matches with its first away victory of the postseason.
Hemet advances to the CIF-SS Division 5 championship final for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs have yet to win a section title in two previous finals appearances.
“The girls are amped. They want some redemption and I think that what it’s been all about — getting back to this point,” Dwinnell said.
Arnold settled a frenetic opening when her blast from outside the penalty area curled out of the reach of Ontario Christian goalkeeper Grace Goedhart and into the upper-right corner.
“Just gettin’ it, hittin’ it and hoping for the best,” Arnold said.
Hemet controlled large stretches of the first half and produced several scoring opportunities before Hernandez hit a deflected defensive clearance over the head of Goedhart for a 2-0 lead in the 26th minute.
Hernandez scored again six minutes later when her long shot bounced awkwardly in front of Goedhart and into the goal to make it 3-0 near halftime.
Reagan Bailey and Audrey Pudlik had goals but it wasn’t enough for Ontario Christian (18-5-2), which came up short in an attempt to reach a 10th section final in the last 15 years.
“We had high expectations for this team this season, so it does hurt and it does sting,” Ontario Christian assistant coach Jasmine Benson said. Long-time head coach David Belden was absent due to a personal matter.
Ontario Christian applied pressure higher up the field in the second half and earned a foul and a free kick that Bailey sneaked under the cross bar from 30 yards to get the Knights on the scoreboard in the 50th minute.
Carrying a bit of momentum, Ontario Christian scored again in the 60th minute as Megan Charley dribbled to the goal line before crossing back to the top of the 6-yard area for Pudlik to finish and make it 3-2 and get the crowd back into the match.
“They knew they only had 40 minutes left so it was about how they wanted to finish,” Benson said. “They were able to change their attitude and change their play and we were much stronger in the second half.”
Hemet, the No. 1 seed in Division 5, stopped the rally and sealed a return trip to the D5 final with a headed goal from Natalie Arnold off a corner kick by Olivia Uribe in the 71st minute.