SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ SOCCER : Villa Park’s Mendez Starts Fast, Teammates Finish Off La Quinta

Susan Mendez scored four consecutive goals in the first half, then took a seat in the second half and watched her teammates score four more as Villa Park defeated La Quinta, 9-0, in a Division II girls’ soccer wild-card game Thursday at Villa Park High.

The Spartans (13-2-6) advanced to play Esperanza (15-4-1), ranked ninth in the county, on Saturday at Esperanza.

Mendez, who has a team-high 27 goals, did her scoring on the side of the field that ranged from coarse infield brick dust to ankle-deep rainwater.

“I like this field,” she said. “It’s kind of different and it’s fun to watch.”

It wasn’t fun for the Aztecs (10-11-2), who gave up five goals in the first half, two of them in the closing minutes.

After Kathy Petersen gave Villa Park a 1-0 lead, Mendez scored four times in 22 minutes.

The first two came on left-foot shots from the corner of the penalty box and the next two with the right foot from straightaway.

The Spartan reserves were called in for the second half and scored four times, two by Meghan Reppe on headers and two by Cynthia King on breakaways.

The Spartans, who finished second in the Century League, kept the pressure on La Quinta the rest of the game. They have not allowed a goal in their last seven games.