Huntington Beach girls’ soccer stays tied for first in Surf League with Los Alamitos
The Huntington Beach High girls’ soccer team last won a league title in 2016.
Since then, Los Alamitos has run things, winning five straight outright league titles.
The race for this year’s Surf League crown between the Oilers and Griffins won’t be decided until the final match of the season.
The rivals played to a 1-1 draw on Monday night at Huntington Beach High, keeping them tied in league headed into their respective final matches on Wednesday. Both teams are now 3-1-1 in league.
Huntington Beach (19-3-2) plays at Newport Harbor on Wednesday, while Los Alamitos (12-6-4) hosts Edison.
“It makes it more dramatic,” Huntington Beach coach Raul Ruiz said with a smile after the final whistle Monday. “A lot of respect for Los Al. They’re the No. 1 team always designated to win league. I thought today, both teams left it on the field. It was very dramatic all the way until the end. Because of this golden goal, you never know, right? A whiff, a missed communication, a free counter and it’s over.”
But neither the Oilers, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division 1, nor No. 12 Los Alamitos were able to score in 20 minutes of overtime play.
Much of the match was played in a light rain. Senior defender Hannah Petteys gave the host Oilers the lead in the 24th minute, coming up the pitch and scoring on an assist from junior striker Jaiden Anderson.
Petteys, who said she plays center forward on her Slammers FC club team, redirected the ball in the box into the left corner of the net.
“We had a winning streak for a while, and then we lost against Edison,” said Petteys, who’s bound for Utah Tech University. “This was a good bounce-back, definitely. We have a lot of good freshmen, and we’ve got a good energy right now.”
The Oilers nearly doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half, but Los Alamitos freshman goalkeeper Avarie Gonzalez leaped to tip Anderson’s volley over the cage. Both Ruiz and Los Alamitos coach Pat Rossi marveled at the play after the game, with Rossi calling it game-changing.
“She can read the shot early, she can read the girl coming at her early,” Rossi said. “Her speed of play or reaction time is next level. That’s what I think gives her the advantage.”
Los Alamitos picked up the pace later in the half, with a shot from sophomore Viviana Zacarias hitting the post. Soon after, senior striker Kaylee Noble was tripped up from behind in the box in the 70th minute. She put away the penalty kick, her 16th goal of the season, to knot the score at 1-1.
Edison senior goalkeeper Reese Doyle also played well. She made a big save at the right post of Zoe Malinowski’s shot in the box in the first overtime period. The Oilers’ defense, also including seniors Alyssa Yadrick, Isabelle Walsh, Charlotte Landis and Hayley Slome, pitched a shutout other than the penalty kick goal.
“We just got a little unlucky, couldn’t finish today, but I thought we had the ball most of the game,” Petteys said. “It’s better than a loss. We’ve got to win Wednesday. We’re excited.”
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