SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ SOCCER PLAYOFFS : 4-A : El Toro Takes Control Just in Time

Throughout his team’s 2-1 semifinal victory over South Torrance High School Tuesday, El Toro girls’ soccer Coach Bob Chavez fretted.

There were the wasted shots.

“We should have four goals right now!” Chavez yelled at his players, who led, 1-0, after the first half.

There was the lack of enthusiasm in the second half.

“C’mon girls, suck it up! Let’s control this thing! C’mon!” Chavez yelled.

And worst of all in Chavez’s opinion, there was the lack of his favorite pain reliever.

“I forgot my Advil today,” he said. “I usually take three to keep me calm.”

His worries were put to rest when senior Skye Everly scored the winning goal with six minutes remaining. Everly’s goal, which came off a header by Shawn Viloria, qualified El Toro for the Southern Section 4-A championship game against fifth-ranked Dana Hills (22-3-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at Gahr High School in Cerritos.

Dana Hills, which defeated Mission Viejo, 2-1, in the other semifinal Tuesday, tied El Toro (20-3-3) for first place in the South Coast League this season.

“I’m just happy it’s an all-South Coast League final,” Chavez said. “We have the toughest league in CIF. A South Coast League team has won the (4-A) title for the last four years. And we didn’t even have one (South Coast League) team seeded in the top four.”

El Toro dominated the first half Tuesday, outshooting South Torrance, 11-2. But the only shot that mattered was that by Kymm Maniscalco, who scored off Everly’s throw-in at the 10-minute mark.

At halftime, South Torrance Coach Stacey Chapman scolded her players for uninspired play. “You’ve got to try harder,” she said. “You’ve got to run harder. You’ve got to run!”

South Torrance (18-6-1) responded with intensity, especially junior midfielder Gillian Boxx, who dominated when the ball was in the air. After two close attempts, South Torrance tied the score, 1-1, when Boxx scored on a short shot with 10 minutes left to play.

But El Toro came back, storming South Torrance goalkeeper Heidi Emmrich with several shots. One got past Emmrich, but, after a quick skirmish, the ball rolled beyond the box and out of bounds to give El Toro a corner kick.

Shawna Berke took the kick, which Viloria headed high, and Everyly chipped it in for the winning goal. The goal did not escape controversy, however, as South Torrance believed Emmrich was fouled by several El Toro players during the winning play.

“That’s kind of the biggest bummer of it all,” Chapman said. “They foul our goalkeeper and they score.”

Chavez said: “That’s a 50-50 ball. Everybody’s fielding it. And that goalie--we talked about it at halftime--she has soft hands. Anything she gets, go for, because she’s dropped some before.”