GIRLS’ SOCCER ROUNDUP : El Modena Advances on Sudden-Death Goal

It took only one kick from Kristy Hales to send the El Modena girls’ soccer team into a frenzy.

Hales, a sophomore, volleyed a loose ball past South Torrance goalie Heidi Emmrich with three minutes remaining in sudden death to give the Vanguards a 2-1 upset in the second round of the Southern Section Division 3-A playoffs Wednesday at El Modena High School.

South Torrance (15-7-1) finished second in the Pioneer League behind Torrance (29-0), the top-seeded team in Division 3-A.

El Modena (8-6-6) advances to Friday’s quarterfinals to face Millikan, a 2-1 winner over Sunny Hills, at a site to be determined.

Hales’ goal came in the 117th minute after two 10-minute overtime halves, one 10-minute sudden-death half and seven minutes of the second, only three minutes before the game would have gone to a penalty-kick shootout.

The goal sent Vanguards’ Coach Tino Younger leaping into air and into a mob of screaming El Modena players congratulating Hales.

“That was probably only the 20th soccer match Kristy’s played in, ever,” Younger said, shaking his head. “And to score that type of goal, in a game like this . . . “

All of the Vanguards were shaking their heads after Shannon Boxx scored the match’s first goal two minutes into the second half for a 1-0 South Torrance lead.

Boxx shot from 20 yards on the right wing, and El Modena goalie Amy Moreno could only stand and watch helplessly as the ball found the upper left corner of the net.

Moreno, who had 16 saves, came out of goal and into El Modena’s front line with 17 minutes remaining in regulation.

“She might be my best shooter,” Younger said.

Moreno proved Younger right with nine minutes remaining in regulation. After Hales was fouled in the penalty area, Moreno scored the tying goal on a penalty kick, beating Emmrich with a shot to the lower right corner.

El Modena’s defense, led by fullbacks Brenda Hinrichs, Molly Schulman, Desiree Brunette, and Christel Sice, preserved the tie despite allowing 29 shots. El Modena took only 13 shots.