Griffins Win With No Ties Attached

For the second-consecutive year, the Los Alamitos girls’ soccer team held up the championship trophy after the Southern Section Division I final.

Only it was much sweeter this time because the margin of victory was more clear.

Los Alamitos defeated Newhall Hart, 3-1, Friday at Cerritos Gahr High, a year after tying Mission Viejo in the championship game.

“We felt we deserved it last year and we couldn’t put our goals away but we took advantage of our opportunities this time,” said Los Alamitos midfielder Sommer Hammoud. “We weren’t going to go home with another tie.”

Kristi Bissonnette scored the winning goal in the 18th minute to break a 1-1 tie. Niki Szlak took a corner kick and Bissonnette headed it into the goal.

Afterward, several Los Alamitos players collapsed in a celebratory, group hug even though more than 60 minutes remained in the game.

The Griffins scored their final goal in the 59th minute, after Hammoud sent a penetrating pass to Brittany Savelkoul, who dribbled to the post and then slid the ball back across the goal. Szlak ran on to the ball kicked it into the goal to make the score 3-1.

“They pressured us really well. They clogged us up in the middle of the field,” Hart Coach Oliver Germond said. “It seems like we played one of our best games but we would have needed to play our absolute best game to beat them.”

Los Alamitos, 24-4-3 overall, was a much larger team, on average, than Hart. The Griffins also maintained possession well and displayed an excellent passing game.

“I think we showed the crowd here we can play some decent soccer,” Los Alamitos Coach Rich Manning said.

The victory was especially rewarding considering the adversity the Griffins have faced recently. Defender Nicole Busch broke her foot in the Griffins’ semifinal victory over Edison and goalkeeper Jenny Willemse has played the last four games with a broken bone in her wrist. Willemse had three saves.

“I am so proud of the team,” Manning said.

Hammoud scored in the third minute to spark the Griffins. She took a throw-in from teammate Niki Szlak, turned and dribbled toward the goal before sending her shot high into the goal.

Hart got right back into the game about 13 minutes later on a 35-yard free kick by Laura Qualls that tied the score. It was Qualls’ 30th goal of the season.

“Their first goal put us on the ropes,” Hammoud said. “Our team, we need something to get us going and that was it.”

Hart (24-2-2), with one of the smallest enrollments in Division I, was led by Qualls and Erin Misaki, a speedy midfielder.

“I think they knew that Laura [Qualls] and I were the ones who handle the ball and look to make passes,” Misaki said. “They stopped us from doing that. They knew how we played and they were aggressive to every ball.”

Hammoud, who is devastating on the wing for her club team, the Southern California Blues, played out of position at center midfielder this season for Los Alamitos. She seemed to play especially inspired in the final.

“I knew we had to win,” she said. “That’s why you play high school--to win CIF.”