SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A GIRLS’ SOCCER PLAYOFFS : El Toro Overpowers Los Alamitos, Advances to Finals

El Toro’s Shawn Viloria scores goals frequently, but her goal during Tuesday’s 3-0 Southern Section Division 4-A semifinal victory over Los Alamitos was anything but routine.

Three minutes into the game, Viloria headed a Kelly Thomson throw-in toward the goal, but Los Alamitos’ Sharon Skoglund was there to clear the ball with a header of her own.

However, Skoglund inadvertently headed the ball into the Griffins’ net, giving El Toro a 1-0 lead and Viloria credit for her 39th goal of the season.

El Toro, seeded first in the 4-A division, got second-half goals from Denise Kenyon and Shannon deAvila in advancing to the finals at 6 p.m. Friday at Gahr High in Cerritos, where the Chargers will face Simi Valley, a 3-0 winner over Mater Dei.

“This was a goal, first to win league, then CIF, and we have a shot now,” first-year El Toro Coach Kerry Krause said. “I’m excited because I’ve never been in the finals before.”

El Toro improved its record to 28-0-2 while Los Alamitos finished its season at 21-4-2, with three of its losses coming against El Toro.

“Our team did a tremendous job to get this far,” Los Alamitos Coach Leonard Lopez said. “We’re not the toughest squad around, and today I think we got intimidated by the physical play.”

Officials handed three yellow cards to El Toro, while two Los Alamitos players were injured in the contest.

Los Alamitos goalkeeper Kathy Skoglund left the game in the first half with a bloody nose after she collided with El Toro’s Thomson. Midfielder Erin Ryan was carried off the field midway through the second half with a knee injury.