La Cañada prevails against Oak Hills in CIF first round
LA CAÑADA — La Cañada High’s girls’ soccer team made a strong push to the finish line of the regular season, winning its final six games to claim the Rio Hondo’s No. 2 entry slot into the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs, but the Spartans’ confidence took a hit when coach Sam Barroudi found out he’d be without his starting goalkeeper due to illness.
“I rarely get nervous for games,” Barroudi said. “But today I had butterflies in my stomach because Celine [Cano-Ruiz] texted me yesterday about having the flu.”
Into the role of goalie stepped senior defender Megan Reilly, who had never played the position before, as the Spartans hosted Oak Hills of Hesperia in the first round on Thursday.
“I was really nervous having to play in goal because our amazing keeper Celine had the flu,” Reilly said. “I just wanted to be there for my team.”
Against the visiting Bulldogs, in a distinctly physical contest, the Spartans gave as good as they got, notching a 2-1 victory and a trip to the second round.
“[Oak Hills] is strong physically. That sometimes hurt us,” Barroudi said. “We try to play modern soccer. When we play teams like this, they go to fouls that are not necessary and they try to hurt us.”
La Cañada (14-6-3) scored in the game’s first minute off a set piece. Just after the initial whistle, the Spartans sent a ball over the top that was cleared by Oak Hills (20-6-1) for a Spartans corner kick. Ella Romero took the kick, sending the ball to senior defender Rose Quezada.
“I was on the far post,” Quezada said. “I lost my mark and was able to finish it.”
Bulldogs keeper Christina Macan got behind the shot and slapped the ball back with one hand, but not before it had crossed the goal line.
“This [win] was very important to us. We’ve been working for it all season. The pieces came together,” Quezada said. “It was a little competitive, as we expected, but we were happy to come out with the win.”
Reilly, in her first action at any level as a goalkeeper, got tested early. In the game’s fourth minute, Bulldog Amya Lawson Kitchen attacked down the right side and found herself one-on-one with Reilly. The Spartans senior charged out and slid into the legs of Kitchen, winning the ball despite a massive collision that left Reilly with a limp the rest of the way.
“I just needed to get to the ball,” Reilly said. “I didn’t care what happens to me. I just needed to make sure she didn’t score. I try to have that mentality on the field and I knew that Celine would do the same thing. So I said to myself, I just have to have the same confidence Celine has. “
That was the first of three times in the first half that Kitchen and Reilly clashed. In the seventh minute, Kitchen, once again one-on-one with the keeper, shot quickly before Reilly arrived. The shot looked to go wide, but a Spartans defender kicked it away from goal just in case. Reilly then showed inexperience at the position, briefly picking up the ball to draw a handball call. However, the ensuing indirect kick from in close hit the wall and was cleared. Later, in the 21st minute, Reilly once again saved a potential equalizer with a sliding tackle of Kitchen.
The Spartans locked down on Oak Hills even harder after the break, when they held a 1-0 advantage. In the game’s 49th minute, the hosts doubled that advantage on a goal by Katherine Sheehy, her sixth of the season. The Spartans took a long free kick that cleared the Bulldogs back line and found Sheehy, who finished with her right foot to give La Cañada a 2-0 cushion.
Oak Hills, the No. 2 entry from the Mojave River, was held scoreless on Thursday until deep into stoppage play. In the 85th minute, just moments after two La Cañada defenders were forced to the sideline by hard fouls by Desiree Pont, D. Sanya Nugent broke free with her dribble and scored.
La Cañada now advances to the second round Tuesday, when the Spartans expect their regular keeper to take back her job. The game will be against the survivor of the Crean Lutheran at second-seeded Moorpark first-round clash.