Santiago holds off King for win

CORONA » A degree in mathematics was not needed to calculate King’s goals against average entering Thursday afternoon’s Big VIII League girls soccer showdown against Santiago. The number was zero.

Santiago didn’t need long to raise the average.

Krystal Medina scored in the sixth minute and Autumn Thompkins tacked on a second goal in the first half. That was enough for the Sharks to hold on for a 2-1 win over King and take sole possession of first place in the league standings.

“Honestly, it’s more pressure for King than us,” Santiago coach Mike Fleming said. “It’s all about the law of averages. At some point, someone has to score a goal against them, so why shouldn’t it be us? We just wanted to make sure we were playing our style of game. We did that and it worked for us.”

King (7-1, 4-1 in league) had trouble clearing a ball out of danger in the sixth minute. The ball bounced to the freshman Medina, who did not to take a touch but instead ripped a shot into the net. Medina is the smallest player on Santiago’s team by a few inches, but she plays the game with no fear.

“I honestly have not asked her,” Fleming said about Medina’s height. “She plays like she’s 6-foot tall though. She has a great sense of the game and awareness of what is happening around her, so even when she is not on the ball she makes things happen with her movements. She’s a great player and a great addition to what we already had.”

Santiago (7-1-1, 5-0) dominated possession in the first half and outshot King 8-0 in those first 40 minutes.

In the 33rd minute, Santiago’s Kaitlyn Taylor sent a shot toward goal, and the ball hit a King defender on the hand. Thompkins stepped up to the spot, and calmly slotted the penalty shot into the lower-right corner.

“The early goal set a precedent and tone, and that was a big difference in the match,” Thompkins said.

King had better link-up play in the second half but still struggled to move the ball into the final third of the pitch. Despite that, the Wolves did make things interesting in the final 10 minutes.

Kaylee Hauck muscled a defender off the ball in the 70th minute and drew a penalty when she was fouled in the box. Hauck took the shot herself, and fired the ball into the lowerleft corner of the net.

King had a chance to knot things up in the 79th minute. Kylie Tusant sent a corner into the box, but Marissa Walker’s header sailed wide of the net.

“I was real proud at the way the girls adjusted throughout the match,” King coach David Smith said. “They battled until the final whistle, and that gives us some positives to build on going forward.”

Santiago is 68-1-16 in league play since the start of the 2013 season and once again finds itself in the driver’s seat for a league championship.

“I would have liked to seen a cleaner finish,” Fleming said. “No matter what the score is or what your record is, there’s always room for improvement.”