Mission Viejo Saves Best for Last

Mission Viejo won the Southern Section Division I girls’ soccer championship with three minutes left in the game on a bizarre play, defeating top-seeded Capistrano Valley, 1-0, Friday night at Gahr High.

Senior midfielder Nicole Avila curled a corner kick in front of the goal. Cougar goalkeeper Haley Kuhn appeared to have made the save. But after being jostled, she knocked the ball into her own goal.

“All I know is Nicole hooked it in beautifully,” said Mission Viejo Coach George Larsen, who is retiring after winning two championships in three years. “It was deep enough into the goal and [Kuhn] had a lot of pressure. But that’s what we do. Once it gets in front of the goal, we make sure to pressure.”

The Cougars (25-1-4) got a goal at the end of the first half when freshman midfielder Ashley Casas kicked in an apparent goal. However the goal was called back because of an offside call.

Senior defender Kim Abbamonto, walking off the field at halftime, was stunned.

“Do you believe that?” said Abbamonto. “It’s always something against this team.”

“We can’t seem to buy a call against this team,” Capistrano Valley Coach Jack Peterson said. “I don’t understand. I respect his decision, but I thought it was a throw-in and a flick off Ashley.”

Third-seeded Mission Viejo (21-3-4) controlled the early minutes of the first half, getting off two quick shots. But Capistrano Valley took over, out-shooting the Diablos in the first half, 7-3.

The Cougars had numerous opportunities to put the ball in the goal. Abbamonto knocked a header off the top post. A few minutes later, sophomore forward Lindsay Greco bounced another one off the post. Junior defender Jessica Krause followed another shot that a Mission Viejo defender headed out of the goal.

“We didn’t capitalize and they didn’t stop fighting,” said Peterson. “Most teams usually lay back on us but not them.”

The Cougars came out charging in the second half, pounding junior goalkeeper Hannah Cochrun with 11 shots.

Despite winning the title, Larsen doesn’t feel that this game proved who the best team was.

“We were able to score today,” Larsen said. “We come back tomorrow, they’d probably get it. We were just one goal better today.”