Revenge Is Sweet for Serra

Serra High School needed 70 minutes plus penalty strokes to beat archrival Mira Mesa, 4-2, Saturday in the San Diego Section/Reebok Girls’ Field Hockey Championships at Diegueno Junior High School in Encinitas.

Serra, which has appeared in every field hockey championship game since 1980 and has lost only twice in the finals, sweated as Mira Mesa rallied late in the second half to tie the score, 1-1. Scoreless in the 10-minute overtime, Serra outshot Mira Mesa, 3-1, on penalty strokes to avenge last year’s loss to Mira Mesa.

“I’m glad we won it back,” Serra Coach Laurie Berger said. “I just wish we had won it in regulation.

“No matter what sport we’re playing Mira Mesa in, it’s a rivalry. The hockey one is pretty heated because we play each other so much and we’re always so close.”

Both teams finished the season 14-3, split their two league matches and were co-champs of the City Eastern League.

“I hate losing games like this,” Mira Mesa assistant coach Vince Viado said. “I just wish we could keep on playing overtime. That way the best team, the fittest team wins it.”

Serra took the lead early when senior forward Kanda Segraves scored eight minutes into the first half. Serra kept Mira Mesa off-balance with aggressive play and sure handling skills.

But Mira Mesa’s offense woke up in the second half and mounted an attack led by center half DeeDee Spangler.

Late in the second half, sophomore forward Jody Lo Duca punched in teammate Natalie Spizik’s deflected shot to tie the score.

“I told them to start making short passes, instead of hitting the ball through the middle like they were doing,” Viado said. “I call that kind of playing ‘hit and hope’--you hit the ball and hope someone gets it in. I told them in the second half to play hockey, to settle down and start thinking about the game.”

In the third-place game, San Marcos beat The Bishop’s School, 2-0, on penalty strokes.