Hart Receives Early Wake-Up Call

Crescenta Valley High welcomed the Hart girls’ soccer team back to reality Tuesday with a 4-2 victory in a nonleague season opener at Crescenta Valley.

The game was the first for Hart since its improbable 1997 playoff run landed the Indians in the Southern Section Division I final. Trailing, 2-1, 10 minutes into the second half, Crescenta Valley scored three times in 12 minutes to pull off an upset of what is expected to be one of the region’s best teams. Falcon sophomore midfielder Julie Herrold scored her team’s second and third goals.

“When it came to clinch time we made the passes we needed,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Jud Bogust, whose team is the Pacific League champion but was thought to be rebuilding. “I didn’t know how we’d react to being down but I’m really pleased.”

The victory was revenge for the Falcons for last year’s 3-1 loss to Hart in the first round of the playoffs.

Since then, Hart graduated Laura Qualls, The Times’ 1997 region player of the year, but returns nine starters and is No. 2 in the Division I preseason coaches’ poll.

The Indians’ standout is junior midfielder Erin Misaki, who recently returned from workouts with the U.S. under-16 national team.

Crescenta Valley shadowed Misaki with Shannon Moffitt, got solid play from goalkeeper Lauren Stevenson and pressured the Hart defense with runs by Herrold and forward Rebecca Hidalgo.

The Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute when Hidalgo kicked a rebound from close range. Hart answered on a 20-yard Misaki blast in the 33rd minute and a Mandy Mansfield goal in the 40th minute.

Herrold tied the match in the 50th minute, heading in a Shannon Clissold free kick, and gave Crescenta Valley the lead for good with a successful penalty shot six minutes later. Stacy Lyans closed the scoring in the 62nd minute.