Varsity Girls’ Soccer Hopes to Reclaim Title Next Season After Untimely Defeat in CIF

ANHAYTE GUAJARDO
Staff Writer

As their first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) game approached, the varsity girls’ soccer team was motivated to fight in order to advance further in the CIF playoffs. The team’s first game was at Moor Field against the Pomona Catholic Pacers, who won their wild card game against St. Matthias the week before.

“No matter what happens, I will be happy with this team. They have accomplished all their goals that they set in the beginning of the year,” Head Coach Armando Gutierrez said. “First was to be undefeated, second [was] to become league champions and third [was] to make it to CIF.”

The game started at 3 p.m. with parents, students, teachers and administrators coming out to support the Lady Moors. Beginning the first half of the game, there were excellent defensive and offensive plays from both teams. Playing with aggression, it wasn’t until the end of first half that the Moors fouled. The Pacers received a penalty kick that scored them the first goal of the game. With the Moors continuing to fight back, in the last 15 seconds of the first half, sophomore forward Vivian Viramonte scored Alhambra their first goal and ended the first 30 minutes of the game with a tied 1-1 score.

Starting the second half, both teams were eager to hit the field. Soon after the clock started, Viramonte scored once again. However, according to the referees, the goal was not to be counted due to the fact that it was an off-side kick, meaning that the forward runner moved before the ball was kicked to her in order for her to make the goal. The game continued as the Moors consistently pressured the Pacers, causing a back and forth game consisting of many good scoring attempts from both teams’ causing the game to end in a 1-1 tie.

In order to resolve the tie, the teams were placed into sudden death overtime. Both teams were given 10 minutes each and whatever team scored first won. Neither teams were able to score in the first 10 minutes nor in the second 10 minutes of overtime. This brought both teams to the final penalty kicks to decide the game.

Each team was given five penalty kicks. With Pomona being able to score three times and Alhambra twice, the game ended in a 4-3 loss; the Lady Moors thus were unable to qualify further into CIF.

Although the team was unable to move on, the girls stay optimistic and are looking forward to working hard in next year’s season and once again qualifying for CIF.

“Although our after season did not go as we planned, the season we planned for measured up to our expectations,” sophomore defender Vivyana Prado said.