La Mirada Tames Beast, Claims First Title

Caption: La Mirada players celebrate their tie with Mayfair in the CIF Division III Girls Soccer Finals at Warren High School in Downey on Saturday March 1, 2008. La Mirada and Mayfair tied with a score of 1-1 making the teams co-champions. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger/SPORTS)

Perhaps Mayfair Coach Sal Marroquin said it best when he stated, "La Mirada just outworked us."

Congratulations to the La Mirada High School girls soccer team in pulling off an incredible upset in tying top-ranked Mayfair 1-1.

Not too many people gave them a chance, including this reporter, and yet they played an incredible game and never quit.

The title is the first in school history and validates what Mats Coach Dennis Guerra has been saying throughout the playoffs, "we're a different team, we're playing with heart."

A special congratulations to Mats goalie Kiki Salazar, who unfairly was given a lot of blame in the first two La Mirada 5-1 losses to Mayfair. She may have played her finest game of the postseason Saturday.

Forgive the small write up in today's paper, we were on a short deadline. There will be more in Tuesday's paper.

Oh, in case anyone didn't notice, Whittier area teams went 3-for-3 in capturing soccer titles. Not too bad for our small side of the woods.