Truth Be Told, Thompson’s Goals Help La Reina Remain Undefeated

Forgive La Reina High’s Aimee Thompson, for she cannot tell a lie.

Thompson, a freshman forward, had a confession to make moments after the Regents tied Southern Section Division IV rival Santa Clara, 2-2, Friday.

“It kind of went in off my head . . . and then off my hand,” she said, referring to her second goal of the game, which gave La Reina a 2-1 lead midway through the second half.

The Regents (5-0-1) allowed Santa Clara (2-0-2) to control the game for long stretches, but seized the momentum long enough to earn the draw.

“We were fortunate to tie,” said La Reina Coach Joe Laraneta. “Sometimes being 5-0 gets to you and young minds wander. They beat us to the ball all game and had a couple of chances to win it.”

Santa Clara tied the game not 10 minutes after Thompson’s second goal, but might have won had several shots not bounced off the posts and crossbar throughout the game.

“We came out slow and we didn’t get our touches down,” said Thompson, who has scored eight goals in six games. “It was like we were rusty.”

After Santa Clara’s Cande Ruiz scored the game’s first goal on a shot from more than 40 yards, Thompson took a short pass from teammate Samantha Conroy on a free kick and put a low shot into the left side of the net.

Her second score came 24 minutes into the second half when she jumped out of a crowd in front of the Santa Clara goal and directed Conroy’s corner kick from the right side past Saints’ goalie Analiese White.

Santa Clara’s Lisa Seyl tied the game with seven minutes remaining.