Huntington Beach field hockey clinches league title with tie versus Edison
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The stakes were high, the pace frenetic, and little could quell the nerves.
Up to the final whistle on Thursday afternoon, Huntington Beach field hockey coach Theresa Moniak thought to herself and conveyed to those in her charge an easier-said-than-done piece of advice.
“I told them not to panic,” said Moniak, in her third year as head coach of the program.
After falling behind early against Edison, the host Oilers rallied to tie the score before halftime.
Huntington Beach then navigated the anxious moments of the second half and overtime to earn a 1-1 draw that was as good as gold, the result clinching the Sunset League Southern Division title for the Oilers in their regular season finale.
Moniak kept it a secret from her players that a draw would be good enough to win the league championship. When she revealed the news in a postgame huddle, the Oilers’ sideline exploded with excitement.
Lyla Wong scored the equalizer with 2:33 remaining in the second quarter, supplying all that Huntington Beach (13-5-3, 6-0-1) required to fend off Edison (14-1-2, 4-0-2) in the standings. The Chargers have one league contest remaining on Tuesday at Temecula Valley (1-9-1, 1-5).
“I knew if we kept our composure and played to our strengths that we could come back,” Moniak said. “I was hoping for another [goal] in [regulation], instead of going into overtime. I think they held their own, and everyone played really well. You do need all those pieces.”
As the sides challenged balls in every area of the field, scoring was kept to a premium. A defensive breakdown saw Madison Brown send a lead pass through the middle of the field. Lucy Jenkins caught up to it first.
Paige Moss (one save) came off her goal line to challenge the breakaway, but Jenkins’ shot found the far corner of the cage, lifting the Chargers to a 1-0 lead with 1:39 left in the opening period.
Wong answered when the Oilers sent the ball around the horn on a short corner, a set play awarded to an attacking team near the opponent’s goal line. Kailey Kosai served as the injector to Grace Moniak, who moved the ball to her right for Sarah Moniak. Wong, fighting for position in front of the goal, capitalized on a rebound.
“It was definitely a team effort,” Wong said of the goal. “Kailey did the insert in, and two of my other teammates helped get it to me, and I was able to get the last touch into the goal, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Huntington Beach held a territorial advantage in the third quarter, but Edison turned the tables late in the fourth quarter, forcing the Oilers to defend a barrage of short-corner chances.
In the closing seconds of regulation, Brown and Jenkins nearly linked up again. Running in full stride, Jenkins took a shot from near the penalty-stroke line to beat the clock, but Charlotte Johnson (two saves) kept it out.
“It’s always nervous to have short corners, but they just come out with confidence and strength when they do those tackles,” Theresa Moniak said. “Having [the Chargers] have that momentum and having so many in a row definitely made me a little nervous.”
Chloe Gray and Kosai were among those in interior defense working to clear balls from the netfront for the Oilers, while Peyton Makros stood out for her ability to break up plays for the Chargers.
Edison’s Fallon Auger made six saves, her most impressive stop coming early in the third quarter. Grace Moniak’s shot rode up the stick of a defender, and Auger threw herself in front of the rising ball, diving to her left to keep the Chargers even.
“We have a good chance for second place, but honestly, Huntington is like a really, really good team this year,” Jenkins said. “[Grace Moniak], she’s insane. [Valentina D’Angelo], she’s really high-scoring.
“We had to win the game to win league, but it is what it is. I’m glad we got to pull off second and that they didn’t beat us, so we’re technically still undefeated.”
