CIF-State Southern California Regional Playoffs
Girls Soccer Division II
Today’s Results
Santa Margarita 2, St. Lucy’s 2, Santa Margarita advances on PKs, 4-3
Bishop Amat 3, San Diego Cathedral Catholic 2, overtime
Championship: Saturday at Warren High in Downey, 10:30 a.m.
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
SANTA ANA — While St. Lucy’s thrilling comeback ended in a heartbreaking 4-3 penalty-kick loss to top seed Santa Margarita after the Regents scored twice in the final 12 minutes to force overtime and tie the score, 2-2, Bishop Amat was mounting a rally of its own in San Diego during separate CIF-State Southern California Region Division II girls soccer semifinals on Thursday.
Bishop Amat junior Kathleen Zamora, who scored the game-tying goal against second-seed Cathedral Catholic in the 70th minute to force overtime, also scored the game winner in the fifth minute of sudden death to lift the Lancers (26-4-4) to a 3-2 victory over Cathedral to advance to Saturday’s championship against Santa Margarita (18-5-1) at Warren High School in Downey at 10:30 a.m.
St. Lucy’s came close to meeting Amat in Saturday’s final, but fell behind 2-0 after giving up two goals in the final ten minutes of the first half to the Eagles’ Kennedy Kraft (30th minute) and Samantha Trenary (35th). Earlier in the half, St. Lucy’s missed a breakaway and header at the back post in a half they clearly dominated except for the final ten minutes.
The Regents kept forcing the issue in the second half and finally cut the Eagles’ lead to 2-1 when Kennedy Lanier headed home Victoria Camaj’s corner kick in the 68th minute. Then after St. Lucy’s missed another breakaway, Shannon Kent sent the game into overtime with a goal in the 72nd minute to tie the score, 2-2.
But the Regents, who defeated Clovis North in penalty kicks in the first round on Tuesday, missed two PKs and lost, 4-3.
“It’s heartbreaking but I’m really proud of our girls,” said St. Lucy’s coach Andy Placentia, whose team finished 22-12-1. “We made two big mistakes in the first half but we kept believing in each other, that was the message at halftime and that’s what got us back in the game.
“It’s always tough to lose in PKs, but I”m really proud of them for fighting. Most teams would have folded up.”
After Yazmin Montoya scored to give Amat a 1-0 lead, Cathedral tied the score in the 45th minute and took a 2-1 lead midway through the second half on a Montoya own goal.
But Zamora came to the rescue.
After Zamora finished a through ball from April Juarez to tie the score 2-2 in the 70th, freshman Jamie Peters beat a defender and fed Zamora for the game-winning finish five minutes into sudden death.
After losing in last week’s CIF-SS Division 3 final to Claremont 2-0, the Lancers have an opportunity to finish with another title after winning last year’s CIF-SS Division 3 title.
“Sometimes you have to be lucky and good,” Amat coach Ruben Gonzalez said. “We went down but we kept fighting and now we have a chance to hang another banner. Hopefully we won’t let this opportunity slip by us again.”
fred.robledo@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 2161
St.Lucy’s semifinal photo gallery
