Victory Slips Through Mission Viejo’s Hands

Mission Viejo goalkeeper Katie Wright looked down at her hands in disbelief. The part of her body she relied on most had just let her down.

With seven minutes remaining in the game Thursday, Wright, a sophomore, pulled in a soft free kick from Corona del Mar’s Lauren Shepherdson, then watched in amazement as the ball slipped through her fingers and bounced slowly into the back of the goal, securing a 1-1 tie for the Sea Kings in a nonleague girls’ soccer game at Mission Viejo.

“I feel bad for her,” Corona del Mar goalie Britta Vogele said. “I don’t even know what I’d do if that happened to me.”

The goal caught everyone by surprise, including Corona del Mar Coach Ron Evans, who, thinking Wright had made the play, turned his attention back to his defense and missed seeing everything but the ball rolling into the net.

Mission Viejo (2-0-3), ranked No. 2 in the county, made several great runs, and had some dazzling passing sequences on the counter. However, the Diablos’ goal also came on a defensive mistake.

With 20 minutes remaining, Vogele made a spectacular save, leaping and tipping the ball over the goal on a close-range blast by Brittany Wenck. But on the ensuing corner kick, the eighth-ranked Sea Kings (7-1-1) failed to clear the ball. Mission Viejo’s Bethany Haynes knocked it back inside to Jen Thais, who touched it to Kendal Billingsley. Vogele got caught out of position and Billingsley nudged the ball into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

“Corona del Mar has a good defense,” Mission Viejo Coach Susie Daher said. “And I have a very powerful offense. But they were able to keep us from getting very many good shots. They are really strong.”