Highlanders Walk With Royalty : Hart-Rending Victory for Los Alamitos in the Final

Sommer Hammoud, Kristi Bissonnette, and Niki Szlak scored and Los Alamitos High (24-4-3) won its second consecutive Southern Section Division I soccer championship with a 3-1 victory over Hart at Gahr High on Friday.

Hart (24-2-2) got a goal from Laura Qualls, her 30th.

“We looked really nervous,” Hart Coach Oliver Germond said. “It seemed we were a little afraid to make mistakes. We played one of our best games, but we would have needed our absolute best game to beat them. They’re just really fast and skilled.

“They pressured us really well. They clogged us up in the middle of the field. It seemed like we panicked at times instead of settling the ball.”

The Indians, unseeded in the tournament after winning their fourth consecutive Foothill League title, made a big slash this season in Division I after moving up from Division III.

Qualls was named Foothill League player of the year earlier in the day.

The Griffins (24-4-3) blanketed Qualls and Erin Misaki, Hart’s other scoring threat.

“They were so well-conditioned, they were running up and down the field the whole game,” Misaki said. “We gave it our all, but they gave it that something extra.

“I think they knew that Laura and I were the ones who handle the ball and try to pass it. They stopped us from doing that. They knew how we played and they were aggressive to every ball.”