Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy soccer falls short to Harvard-Westlake
LOS ANGELES — Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy soccer Coach Mark Snashall had no problem with the effort turned in by his team Friday.
Flintridge Sacred Heart held its own reigning Mission League champion Harvard-Westlake at Occidental College.
After spotting Harvard-Westlake two first-half goals, Flintridge Sacred Heart looked to mount a comeback.
Unfortunately for Flintridge Sacred Heart, its comeback bid came up short in a 2-1 defeat.
“Easily our best performance of the year against a very good team,” Snashall said. “We gave it a good run and both teams played well.
“They got two goals on well-placed shots and give them credit. I really liked a lot of things we were able to do and you can learn from it.”
Harvard-Westlake (8-2-1, 2-0 in league) got first-half goals from KK Bishop and Annabelle Heisel. The Tologs (6-2-1, 1-1) and Wolverines will meet again Feb. 3 at Harvard-Westlake.
The Tologs were without starting goalkeeper Mattie Interian, who has stitches in her right knee. While Interian might return next week, the Tologs lost reserve goalkeeper Giulia Cascapera to a right-ankle injury following a collision with about 22 minutes left in the second half. The Tologs brought in Natalie Slim, who earlier Friday played for the junior varsity team.
The Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Bishop dribbled the ball down the right side and lofted a shot just inside the left post.
Harvard-Westlake extended the lead to 2-0 on a 22-yard direct kick by Heisel that went in just under the crossbar.
“It’s a bigger field here, compared to our field,” Harvard-Westlake Coach Richard Simms said. “You have to have speed on the outside and we got that on the first goal.
“It took two perfect shots to win it. We held them mostly to shots from the outside and we played some real good defense. These two teams have been right up their winning league titles in the last 12 years. The players get into it. The coaches get into it and the fans get into it. It’s a great recipe for entertainment.”
Flintridge Sacred Heart cut the lead in half when Sophia Saldivar scored on a penalty shot with about 14 minutes remaining. However, the Tologs couldn’t get the equalizer.
“There’s things we can take from this game,” Flintridge Sacred Heart forward Nia Harris said. “We played a real good game and we gained some more good experience.
“We just have to find a way to click on finishing our scoring opportunities. We just need to connect a little more going from defense to midfield. Those things can be done.”
Cascapera finished with six saves. Harvard-Westlake goalkeeper Lindsay Avant registered eight saves, including five in the first half.
