Monarchs Take to Road for Wild-Card Victory

Mater Dei defeated Norco, 2-0, in a Southern Section Division II wild-card girls’ soccer game Wednesday at Norco. But the back story is a bit more complicated.

Despite being seeded fourth by the section, the Monarchs were given a wild-card game because they finished third in the South Coast League. Next they will be on the road again for their first-round game Friday at Canyon. The situation left the Monarchs puzzled.

“I’m not upset with it,” Mater Dei Coach Austin Sharp said, “I just don’t understand it.”

Said Monarch goalkeeper Rachael Slocum-Johnson: “I don’t know why we had to play this game. But we won and that’s what’s important. And playing at Canyon is just like a home game for us. Some of our girls live right there. It’s just down the street for us.”

Wednesday’s game was a rematch of the quarterfinals two years ago, when Norco defeated the Monarchs, 2-1, and went on to lose in the title game. So Sharp had a little insight into Norco’s style of play and was expecting a lot of long ball from the Cougars.

“They play a different game than teams from our area,” Sharp said. “They do a good job of playing kick ball. I’m just happy to come out of here with a win. It’s a tough place to play with their football players yelling and the fans laughing whenever someone gets knocked down.”

Senior forward Alison Fennell took control of the game for the Monarchs, keeping the ball on offense, as Mater Dei outshot Norco, 15-4.

After taking two early shots, Fennell scored the eventual game winner, 25 minutes in, when she headed in a cross from senior midfielder Kerry Goletz.

Mater Dei put the game away in the 55th minute, when Norco defender Diane Umana was unable to clear the ball and Fennell knocked it to sophomore Sabrina Hill, who sailed an easy shot into the corner of the goal.

Norco (13-9-2) had only two real opportunities to score. In the first half, Norco forward Amy Stout went around a Mater Dei defender 10 yards from the goal and took on Slocum-Johnson, who came out to meet her. Stout slammed a shot from close range and Slocum-Johnson knocked it down.

In the second half Slocum-Johnson collided with a defender and fell. Norco had a wide-open goal, but failed to get a shot past the Monarch defenders.

“I was scared,” Slocum-Johnson said. “You always are in those situations. But you just have to focus and stay tough.”

Slocum-Johnson finished with three saves.