Foothill Finds El Dorado’s Branam Can’t Be Beat

El Dorado goalkeeper Jenni Branam fended off Foothill’s attack and helped lead her team to a 1-0 wild-card victory in a Southern Section Division II girls’ soccer game Wednesday at El Dorado High.

Branam, a junior, was under pressure from the Knights much of the game. She chased down balls, made spectacular saves and knocked down anyone in her way.

“Our goalie absolutely saved us,” El Dorado Coach Eron Campuzano said. “She probably played one of her best games of the season.”

Foothill Coach Hector Romero knew that for his team to score, he needed them to get in close on Branam, who has 14 shutouts this season. And they had the opportunities, but Branam, who finished with 11 saves, was up to the task.

In the second half she made two saves on what appeared to be sure goals. Diving to her right, she tipped away a shot by Jodi Grigas from 10 yards, and minutes later she knocked down a direct kick in front of the goal and collided with a Foothill player in the process.

“[Branam’s] a wall,” said Romero, who took over head coaching duties midway through the season. “She’s so quick and she’s very aggressive. I’m very impressed.”

El Dorado finally got a break and scored with eight minutes left in the game. Senior midfielder Karly Reish placed a corner kick directly in front of the Knights’ goal and as goalkeeper Kelly Yukihiro came out, sophomore midfielder Kerri Cavish headed the ball over her the keeper and into the goal

“We made one mistake and they took advantage,” said Romero, whose team finished 11-8-3.

El Dorado (14-4-3), the Empire League’s second-place team, will face Santa Margarita, ranked fourth in the county, on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s first-round game. The Eagles won that game, 3-1, and went on to win the Division II title.

Campuzano, a first-year coach, is confident in his team’s ability but knows his players need to get out of the blocks early if they hope to pull off the upset.

“We need to score early on [Santa Margarita], since they didn’t have to play a wild-card game and we did,” Campuzano said. “If we get out early, it will build our confidence and then maybe we can score one, two, three or more.”

In another Division II wild-card game:

Laguna Hills 3, Anaheim 0--Elizabeth Jones scored two goals and Cynde Mann scored one in a victory at Laguna Hills. Goalie Deanna Moore had one save and Heather Shelton did not face a shot on goal.

Laguna Hills (13-5-4) plays at Woodbridge (11-6-4) on Saturday.

In Division I wild-card games:

Los Alamitos 5, Santa Ana 1--Brittany Savelkoul scored one goal and assisted on Susan Palmer’s goal as the Griffins jumped all over visiting Santa Ana (15-5-2). Los Alamitos scored all five goals in the first half and goalie Jenny Willemse had to stop only one Santa Ana shot.

Los Alamitos (13-5-4) plays Long Beach Poly (17-1-1) on Saturday.

El Toro 2, Aliso Niguel 1--Melissa Dippel scored the game-winner in the 55th minute. Kim Devine scored for Aliso Niguel, which ends its season at 11-9-2. El Toro (12-7-2) plays Edison in the first round on Saturday.

Esperanza 9, Downey Warren 2--Stephanie Freeman scored twice and had assists on two goals to help host Esperanza defeat Downey Warren. The Aztecs (15-6-3) will host University (14-4-4) on Saturday.

University 5, Long Beach Millikan 0--Cary Clark led host University (14-4-4) with two goals. The Trojans play at Esperanza Saturday.

In Division III wild-card games:

El Modena 4, Ocean View 0--On the strength of Ashley Clift’s two goals, the El Modena offense was able to control the game as the Vanguards cruised to victory. El Modena (14-9-1) will move on to host Torrance Bishop Montgomery on Saturday. Ocean View finished 8-7.

Torrance Bishop Montgomery 3, La Habra 0--Bishop Montgomery (12-4-1) advanced to the first round against El Modena. La Habra ends its season 7-12-3.

Lakewood St. Joseph 6, La Quinta 0--La Quinta finished 9-10-1, while St. Joseph (16-11-1) plays Valencia on Saturday in the first round.

Culver City 1, Rosary 0--Visiting Culver City put an end to Rosary’s season at 10-10-2. Culver City (15-9-4) plays at Pacifica on Saturday.

Lakewood Mayfair 4, Garden Grove 0--Garden Grove, with this loss at Mayfair High, finished the season 16-3-1.