Sessarego boots Crescenta Valley soccer past Hoover

GLENDALE — When Crescenta Valley High’s girls’ soccer team had previously walked away from the Hoover High field, it did so brimming with frustration after a disappointing tie.

For the majority of Friday’s Pacific League affair, it looked as though a similar fate would befall the Falcons despite their dominant play.

But then Falcons senior Sabrina Sessarego let fly on a free kick in the 61st minute.

Though many of the Falcons’ 25 shots on the day looked to be more dangerous, none were as fortuitous.

The booming shot from 42 yards beyond the goalline descended a few yards short of the line, but bounced over the rushing Hoover goalie’s head for the only score of the afternoon and a 1-0 Falcons victory.

“I guess we knew that eventually one was gonna go in. Luckily for us, that one went in,” Sessarego said. “It wasn’t amazing, but a goal’s a goal and a win’s a win.”

It was a win that propelled the Falcons (4-6-1, 4-1 in league) past the Tornadoes (5-10, 2-3) a season after host Hoover had played them to a 1-1 tie.

Looking to do the same, Tornadoes Coach Anastasios Metallinos’ squad settled in for a defensive day in which Hoover bunched up and frustrated the Falcons, who were left with little space to work on offense.

“If not for a little bit of unluckiness, we might have had the same result. That’s what we hoped,” Metallinos said. “I’m glad [about how my team played], but it’s hard for it to get decided on a play like that.”

Nevertheless, the Falcons thoroughly bombarded the Tornadoes’ net to the tune of a 25-1 shot disparity.

Crescenta Valley fired off 14 first-half shots, but became more accurate in the second half, forcing goalie Melanie Palermo (10 total saves) of Hoover to make seven second-half saves. Palermo had faced eight shots, tallying six saves, before Sessarego’s score.

“She was excellent,” Metallinos said of his goalie. “That what I told her, it’s not her fault.”

Hoover’s one true scoring chance was an excellent one, as Jordan Miller took a free kick early in the first half from midfield and had the ball bounce back to her in space. Miller deftly juked out a Falcons defender before taking a shot from 30 yards out that tailed just left of a diving Sydney Schoeller in net, who didn’t have to register a save in the shutout.

Though the Falcons’ pressure was unrelenting, the Tornadoes’ hopes of getting a score on a counter proved no less frightening as the game played on at a scoreless stalemate with Falcons such as Grace Keller, Sessarego, Kelsey Boller, Sammie Phinney, Arden Gonta and Alaina Furstenberg all offering up solid shots to no avail.

“Before the goal went in, we were pretty nervous,” Sessarego said.

But one goal and an overwhelming offense that also served as a stifling defense netted the result the Falcons were striving to get.

“We just had to find our opportunity,” Sessarego said, “ and luckily we capitalized on one.”