Down One, Simi Valley Holds On, 2-1

For Monica Gerardo, Friday’s work ended early, but ended well.

Gerardo, a Simi Valley High forward, scored the Pioneers’ decisive goal seven minutes into the second half of a 2-1 victory over Royal in a Marmonte League match at Simi Valley.

Twenty minutes later, she appeared to score again by heading in a pass from Anna Wolleck, but Gerardo was ruled to have redirected the ball with her hand for the second time in the match.

The second transgression earned her an automatic ejection and forced Simi Valley (14-2-2, 4-0 in league play) to go the final 14 minutes one player short.

“I used my hand on both of them; it’s just reflex,” said Gerardo, who was whistled for a similar play in the first half. “It’s a bad habit and I’ve got to get out of it.”

Gerardo, the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals, should have time to change her ways since the ejection means she also will miss Simi Valley’s next match. Pioneer Coach Mark Johnson isn’t likely to let her forget the incident, either.

“Dumb play. That’s why coaches lose their hair,” Johnson said, running his hands over his already-smooth pate. “She’s used to trying plays like that with her level of talent, but the ref was watching.”

Despite the absence of its star, Simi Valley, ranked No. 2 in Southern Section Division I, hung on. The Pioneers won virtually every contested ball and forced Highlander goalie Melissa Endy to make 10 saves.

Jennifer Olson got Simi Valley’s first goal at the 28-minute mark, winning a foot race for the ball with a Royal defender before scoring from 10 feet. After Gerardo beat Endy for a 2-0 lead, Royal’s Theresa Bartholomew scored on a penalty kick.

Gerardo thought she and Wolleck could have been more of a nightmare for Royal (9-6-1, 1-3) if not for the sloppy field.

“I was happy considering the conditions,” Gerardo said., “It hurt us because we’re a very fast team and we were slipping and sliding. . . . If we’d had better shots, it could have been 6-0.”