HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Hood Directs Simi Valley Past Edison, 2-0

The team bus was late, right fullback Johanna Nicholson re-injured her right knee in pregame warm-ups and senior forward Holly Bennett missed two golden scoring opportunities.

None of it mattered.

Senior captain Amy Hood was in control.

Behind the strong defensive play and leadership of Hood, Simi Valley High defeated host Edison, 2-0, Thursday in a Southern Section Division I girls’ quarterfinal soccer match.

After playing a scoreless first half in which Edison (21-6-2) could not capitalize on two excellent scoring opportunities, Simi Valley Coach Mark Johnson allowed Hood, his star defender, to call the defense in the second half.

Hood, playing in her 76th consecutive game without having been substituted for, decided to move junior Stacy Dolder to right fullback from left halfback as a replacement for Nicholson.

“As a senior captain, I let her make the call. Give her credit for the win because she made the call,” Johnson said of Hood.

Hood preferred to deflect credit to Dolder. “I knew (Dolder) had the speed back there and she really came through for us,” she said.

Dolder was the spark that got the Pioneers (16-4-1) their best scoring opportunities of the second half. At the 15-minute mark, she sent a direct kick from midfield deep into Edison territory. Charger goalkeeper Stephanie Hinkey bobbled and subsequently dropped the ball, leaving Bennett in position to score with an open net, but she missed the shot wide to the right.

Ten minutes later, Bennett, who had been leveled five minutes earlier by Hinkey on a save attempt, missed another shot wide right.

Sophomore Monica Gerardo, the team’s leading scorer, finally gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead with her 15th goal of the season in the 27th minute.

Hood clinched the victory with a penalty shot with one minute to play after teammate Brandi Friedrich had an open shot caught by Edison fullback Michelle Turner, who was given a red card and ejected.

“It seemed like we had everything against us this year,” Hood said. “We’re proving to everyone that we can do it. Our team wants it so bad. We have so much heart.”

The Chargers’ best scoring chances came in the first half. Freshman Shauna Itri dribbled 35 yards to the goal, but missed a breakaway shot when the ball shanked off the side of her foot. Later, Lynne Thiel hit the top of the net with a shot from the top of the penalty box.