Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer claims share of title in dramatic fashion

For the Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer team to capture a share of the Prep League championship, the math was simple.

The Rebels needed to go on the road and defeat league juggernaut Pasadena Poly, which had already claimed a share of the crown.

On Thursday afternoon at Babcock Field, the Rebels weathered a dramatic Panthers comeback before scoring in stoppage time to solve the Poly equation and win, 3-2, to claim a share of the Prep League title — its first since 2012.

“It seemed like it was over,” Flintridge Prep Coach Esteban Chavez said.

With the match tied, 2-2, Flintridge Prep’s Julia Gonzalez trapped a long pass with her chest. She then sent a shot on the ground with her left foot across the goalkeeper and into the far side of the net for the game-winner and a share of the Prep League crown.

“It was a perfect ball from Helen [Schaefer]. I knew what I had to do,” Gonzalez said. “I just tried to stay calm.”

It was the second goal of the contest for the sophomore and came in the 81st minute.

“This is like a dream come true,” Gonzalez said.

The victory for Flintridge Prep (15-2-5, 9-1) ended a 42-match league unbeaten streak for Pasadena Poly (18-3-2, 9-1), which had last lost Feb. 1, 2012, to the Rebels. It also broke a 20-game league winning streak and an 11-game overall winning streak this season.

“We’ve been on the other end of a couple of these,” said Poly Coach Pat Gray, whose team won the first meeting against the Rebels, 2-1, on a goal in the 79th minute. “Most notably about two weeks ago over at Prep. That is name of the game; sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”

Flintridge Prep had held a 2-0 advantage midway through the second half before Poly, ranked seventh in CIF Southern Section Division III, got back into the game using familiar means.

In the 67th minute, Panther Annie Winton came off the bench to take a throw-in deep in the Rebels’ defensive third, just as she had in the teams’ first meeting, when a Winton throw assisted the game-winner.

On Thursday, Winton launched a throw deep into the box directly onto the forehead of Carolyn Shanks, who flicked the ball back and into the goal to make the score 2-1.

Just four minutes later, Shanks struck again. After another long Winton throw was punched away by the Rebels keeper for a Poly corner kick, Catalina Alonso took the kick and Shanks came crashing into the box at the far post to head the ball home into the upper corner of the goal for the equalizer.

“[Poly] came back on two set pieces that they are really good at,” Chavez said. “We already lost like that on the last play of the game two weeks ago. For me, my concern was, we win a title that is great, but if not, I don’t want to go into the playoffs with that taste because you never know how it is going to affect you. So it is outstanding that we kept going.”

Flintridge Prep scored the only goal of the first half to hold a 1-0 advantage at the break. On a counter-attack in the game’s 14th minute, Gonzalez got to a ball in the middle of the pitch and fought off Poly goalie Mia Fernandez to score. The goal was assisted by Schaefer and Mikaela Celeste.

“It was a through ball that I just ran on to,” Gonzalez said. “It was one-versus-one with the goalkeeper. She came out and we both just went at it. I was lucky to just get the touch before she did.”

The Rebels dominated the opening portions of the second half and a 2-0 lead 11 minutes in. Flintridge Prep sent a bouncing ball in front of the Poly goal. It took some strange bounces as it eluded multiple Poly defenders and the goalkeeper, but not Rebel Mona Cesario. The sophomore tracked the ball down and sent it into the back of the net just before getting driven into the ground by a Panthers defender.

“It bounced off the keeper, I believe,” Cesario said. “I just put my foot out and hit it in.”