DIVISION II GIRLS’ SOCCER : Esperanza Wins on a Shootout to Advance

Esperanza and Buena played 120 minutes of scoreless soccer before the Aztecs finally won the game on the last shot of the shootout in a Southern Section Division II girls’ soccer game Tuesday at Buena.

Esperanza’s Kim Gallo kicked the ball past goalkeeper Stacy Hebert to give the Aztecs the shootout, 4-3.

Unseeded Esperanza (20-5-4) advanced to the title game against top-seeded Bishop Montgomery at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cerritos Gahr High.

“This is not the way I planned it to happen,” Esperanza Coach Phyllis Scarborough said. “Nobody likes to go the finals on a shootout, but those are the rules.”

Bishop Montgomery (20-2-2) reached the final with a 2-1 victory over Canyon Tuesday.

Buena (21-3-5) went up in the shootout, 1-0, on a goal from Monica Almaraz. Esperanza tied it on a goal by Jenny Parkison. Megan Munday and Barbara Almaraz scored for Buena and Tammy Lyon and Diana Guy kept it even for Esperanza.

The key save came when Esperanza goalie Chris Gehrls knocked away a shot by Allyson Munday. That gave Gallo the chance to win it.