Brea’s 15 Minutes Aflame Are Too Much for Valencia

Brea Olinda scored three goals in the final 15 minutes to defeat Valencia, 3-1, in an Orange League girls’ soccer game Thursday at Brea Olinda.

The victory gives Brea Olinda (13-6-3, 7-0-1) sole possession of first place and, barring a major upset, its first title in three years. The Wildcats face Magnolia and Western in their final two games, teams they beat by a combined score of 12-1 in the first round.

Valencia (12-4-3, 6-1-1), the two-time defending champion, lost its first league game in three years.

“It’s tough to finish 8-1-1 and not win the title,” Valencia Coach Dean Winther said, confident in winning his final two games. “But it’s the nature of the Orange League.”

Valencia, ranked seventh in Southern Section Division III, dominated the majority of the game, taking a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by Melissa Loera midway through the first half. The Tigers continued to control the ball and the momentum until the final 15 minutes, when Brea Olinda got a fortuitous bounce and the momentum swung the Wildcats’ way, leading to a flurry of goals.

Allison Kueny got the attack going when Tiffany Scott’s corner kick bounced off Kueny’s hip and into the corner of the goal. Four minutes later a corner kick by Kristin Kline was knocked in by Kelly Nakagawa and, with five minutes remaining, Scott lobbed a ball that bounced in front of Valencia goalkeeper Griselda Garcia, over her head and into the goal.

“It takes a miraculous goal to win these games,” Brea Olinda Coach Mike Knaus said. “They dominated 75% of the game. We got a lucky break and the momentum changed.”

“Their bench is, by far, a lot deeper than ours,” Winther said. “We ran out of gas about 30 minutes too soon.”