Cleveland rallies to defeat West Valley leader Chatsworth
First it was El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.
On Monday, Chatsworth became the latest victim.
A year after missing the City Section girls' soccer playoffs, Cleveland of Reseda has bolstered its resume with victories this season over the West Valley League's elite programs, the latest highlight being a 2-1 victory over the first-place Chancellors.
Chatsworth (6-3-2, 3-1-1), which recorded a 5-0 victory Jan. 9 over Cleveland, took the lead in the 15th minute on a penalty shot. But the Cavaliers (12-8-3, 3-2-1) scored twice in the final 15 minutes to record the come-from-behind win.
Tara Trakin converted a cross from Emily Grubman in the 65th minute and Ashani McGee scored the winning goal with three minutes left on an assist from Becca Verstraete.
"This is a great win. To come into Chatsworth and win on the road shows the character of my girls," Cleveland coach Hector Ramirez said. "They never panicked. They never got away from our game plan. They stuck with it for 80 minutes. We knew we would break through and get one. Once we got one, we knew we would get another. They gave me a tremendous effort tonight."
Things don't figure to get any easier for Cleveland, which plays Wednesday at Granada Hills (3-7-2, 3-1-1) and Friday at El Camino Real (4-8-2, 3-2). The Cavaliers suffered a 2-0 loss Jan. 11 to Granada Hills, but rebounded to record a 2-1 victory Jan. 16 over ECR.
"Now we prepare for Granada, which we know will be another challenge," Ramirez said.