SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A GIRLS’ SOCCER : Mater Dei Victory Keeps El Toro From Repeating

Mater Dei ended several streaks by defeating El Toro, 1-0, for the Southern Section 4-A girls’ soccer title Friday at Gahr High School.

The Monarchs foiled El Toro’s bid to win a third consecutive 4-A title, ended the Chargers’ 19-match unbeaten streak and became the first non-South Coast League team in seven seasons to win the championship of the top division of Southern California girls’ soccer.

If you can beat them, join them? Not exactly, but Mater Dei, which finished second in the soon-to-be defunct Angelus League, will become a member of the South Coast League next season.

“We welcomed them to the South Coast League,” Mater Dei Coach Becki Schelhorse said. “The new South Coast League. We’re there.”

But early in the match Friday, the unseeded Monarchs (25-2-2) appeared overmatched by the second-seeded Chargers (24-3-2), who had been ranked first in the division most of the season.

“We read the papers,” Mater Dei forward Katie Ward said. “They said El Toro would be going for its third CIF (Southern Section) title in a row and we wanted to show them that we were good too.”

Ward made her point with the only goal of the match, four minutes into the second half. She broke behind the El Toro defense and put a shot past Traci Jensen, the diving El Toro goalkeeper.

Kim Donohue, the Monarchs’ standout midfielder who was slowed by a sprained knee she sustained Tuesday in a semifinal victory over top-seeded Simi Valley, had headed the ball ahead to Ward after a long clearing pass from Kirsten Keyler.

“I don’t know how I got ahead of her but I did,” said Ward, who finished with 23 goals this season. “I just slid and hoped it would go in.”

After Ward’s goal, the Monarchs held on despite wave after wave of El Toro pressure. The Chargers seemed to be on the verge of breaking through a number of times but the Mater Dei defense, led by Keyler and Monica Chavez, protected goalkeeper Becky Thomas from having to face many hard shots. Thomas finished with three saves.

El Toro, which outshot the Monarchs, 12-4, had its best chance to score when Julie Bargiel’s 25-yard shot hit the crossbar with 16 minutes remaining.