Buena’s Almaraz Scores Twice in 3-0 Victory

Receiving offense from its usual source, the Buena High girls’ soccer team beat Laguna Hills, 3-0, Tuesday in a Southern Section Division II semifinal match at Buena.

Monica Almaraz, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, scored her 26th and 27th goals and added her 25th assist as top-seeded Buena advanced to Saturday’s championship match against Long Beach Poly at Gahr High.

Almaraz carved up the Hawks with shrewd passes, well-timed shots and constant support for teammates under pressure.

“Monica’s a calming factor out there,” Buena Coach Ed Daane said of the senior midfielder. “She’s able to share her knowledge of the game with the other players, even in the heat of battle.”

Buena (28-2-2) found itself in a bruising tussle against a larger, more physical Laguna Hills team that instigated collisions around every loose ball.

“We had to try and knock them out of their game but they were very composed,” said Laguna Hills Coach Kevin Macare, whose team had only occasional scoring chances despite forcing full-field play.

Laguna Hills (15-8-3) stymied the Bulldogs early, smothering several strong shots in front of the goal before Almaraz dropped a 40-yard free kick over Hawks’ goalie Deanna Moore 27 minutes into the match.

Nine minutes later, Almaraz set up Buena’s second goal by threading a pass down the middle of the penalty area to Allyson Munday, who scored her 22nd goal from 10 yards.

Almaraz closed the scoring in the 72nd minute when she dribbled through traffic in front of the Laguna Hills goal and put a low, left-footed shot inside the right post.