Santiago Upsets La Verne Bonita in Finals

Kit Snider retired last season after 21 years of coaching field hockey at Santiago, but her legacy lives on, as the Cavaliers upset top-seeded La Verne Bonita, 2-0, in the Tournament of Champions final Saturday at the Wolfpack Soccer Complex.

First-year Coach Angie Eifert was all smiles and dripping wet because of a Gatorade drenching by her team after the Cavaliers won their second consecutive tournament title. It was the only loss of the year for Bonita (11-1-4).

“I didn’t know what to expect this year,” Eifert said. “I was left with some big shoes to fill. But Kit set me up. These kids have a great work ethic and they are very coachable, which all reflects on Kit. She’s the queen bee of field hockey.”

It was Eifert’s game plan, however, that put second-seeded Santiago (12-2-2) in a position to win.

Eifert’s attacking offense kept Bonita back on its heels for most of the game, as the Cavaliers, led by forwards Amber Puskas and Maria Salinas, outshot the Bearcats, 11-2. Bonita, which had only two goals scored on it all season, was unprepared for Santiago’s attack.

Puskas, the tournament’s MVP, put the Cavaliers up, 1-0, three minutes into the game. Taking a pass from forward Adelina Roman, Puskas slammed a shot past Bonita goalkeeper Lisa Beach into the corner of the goal. Puskas, a senior, finished the season with a team-high 28 goals.

“[Puskas] has a great game,” Eifert said. “She has speed, she’s quick and has good stick work.”

Santiago controlled play for the remainder of the half, and after Puskas missed on two close shots, Rosa Zamora passed to Salinas who slapped it by Beach for a 2-0 lead with about four minutes left in the half.

Despite the 2-0 lead, Santiago continued to press the Bonita defense and hammered Beach with shots in the second half. She finished with seven saves.

“I make them run an awful lot in practice,” Eifert said. “I keep telling them to go hard and stay strong. You have to always think attack, attack.”

And they did. As a smiling Snider looked on.

In the third-place match:

Edison 0, Newport Harbor 0 (Edison wins on penalty shots, 2-0)--After a scoreless regulation and overtime, junior Andrea Wiles put Edison (11-2-3) up on the first penalty shot, slipping the ball past Newport Harbor goalkeeper Erin Kennedy. Two shots later, Cathryn Perkins scored for the Chargers. Edison goalkeeper Jo Szafirski shut out the Sailors (7-5-4).