Phull, Sunny Hills Dominate Foothill

Something had to give Friday when Sunny Hills faced Foothill in the first round of the Southern Section Division II girls’ soccer playoffs.

Simi Phull came into the game with 41 goals for the undefeated Lancers.

Foothill, meanwhile, was riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, and Knight goalkeeper Kelly Yukihiro had given up only two goals during league play and had 13 shutouts this season.

Sunny Hills got the better of the matchup, as Phull scored two goals and added an assist, leading the No. 8 Lancers to a 3-0 victory over visiting Foothill.

Sunny Hills (24-0-4) took control of a scoreless game late in the first half as Phull and Kathy Avendano scored during a four-minute span to put Sunny Hills up, 2-0.

Phull netted her first goal in the 29th minute, taking a lead pass from midfielder Megan Broschak and beating Foothill defender Nicole Jevsevar to the ball. Yukihiro came out to cut down the angle but collided with Jevsevar, and Phull tapped the ball into the open net.

“I wasn’t thinking about [scoring],” Phull said. “Megan hit me with a great pass, and I got a lucky bounce.”

Sunny Hills’ offense kept buzzing following Phull’s goal, and Avendano scored in spectacular fashion in the 33rd minute to put the defensive-minded Knights in dire straits.

Phull crossed a pass into the penalty area that sailed to the far post. Midfielder Amanda Lean headed the ball toward the opposite post, where Avendano headed it past Yukihiro for her 15th goal of the season.

“That’s as pretty a goal as you’re going to see all year,” Sunny Hills Coach Jeff Gordon said. “We did a good job setting up space and getting behind their defense.”

Phull closed out the scoring in the 64th minute, blasting a shot that hit a Foothill defender and spun into the net past a stunned Yukihiro.

With 43 goals this season, Phull, a senior, has 120 in her career.