HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS : Long Beach Poly Reigns on Buena’s Parade : Southern Section: Bulldog girls fall, 1-0, in Division II final.

They stood huddled together, the better team in a match they did not win.

They wore anguished expressions, and in the pelting rain, their tears were indistinguishable.

“Heads up, you played them out of the park,” Buena High girls’ soccer Coach Ed Daane told his team in a soft voice. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Bulldogs lost the Southern Section Division II championship match to Long Beach Poly, 1-0, Saturday, but gave a powerful performance nonetheless.

Buena (28-3-2) outshot the Jackrabbits 17-3 but could place only a few of those shots on goal.

In a steady rain that grew more intense as the match wore on, the more-skilled Bulldogs seemed to lose their touch on the ball at all the wrong times.

“It was like someone was watching over that team, because we dominated but couldn’t put it in the net,” said Buena midfielder Monica Almaraz.

“Every shot we took, something went wrong. The team that should’ve lost didn’t.”

After a scoreless first half in which Buena had only a slight edge, the Bulldogs did not allow Long Beach Poly (19-4-4) to cross midfield for more than seven minutes after the second-half kickoff.

Long Beach Poly’s Lindsay Motes intercepted a Buena pass and raced downfield with several Buena players closing on her. Motes passed to Sarah Kaminsky who scored her 23rd goal from 15 yards in the 54th minute.