Door closes on Sea Kings

CORONA DEL MAR — In the last couple of seasons, Corona del Mar High hasn’t figured a way to beat Redlands East Valley in the playoffs.

First, it was the girls’ volleyball team losing to the Wildcats in CIF Southern Section and Southern California Regional title matches in back-to-back seasons.

Now, the girls’ soccer team fell to Redlands East Valley. This time, two rounds before the actual championship.

The Wildcats held on for a 1-0 victory at CdM in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs Friday afternoon. The match’s lone goal came early, the 13th minute, when Shereen Khoobbagha scored deep in the box.

CdM Coach Bryan Middleton wanted a handball call. The officials let the play continue and Khoobbagha had an easy goal.

The rest of the way, the two teams mustered zero. Redlands East Valley (26-4) was OK with that as it advanced to its second semifinal match in four seasons.

The Sea Kings (14-9-4) created chances late, but goalkeeper Arami Walker fisted, deflected and smothered CdM’s best shots.

The Sea Kings’ run in the postseason ended in the quarterfinals for the second straight season to another team from Redlands. It wasn’t supposed to wrap up in this round.

“We had the team this year to make it all the way,” said Middleton, who has guided CdM to the quarters three times in his eight years as coach. “Sometimes the ball bounces the other way for the other team in the playoffs. Usually, it’s a set piece that can be the game breaker.”

The game changer for Redlands East Valley was Walker.

The junior wasn’t expecting to protect the cage. She sat on the bench in the first half before Coach Katie Husband inserted Walker at keeper in the final 40 minutes.

“It’s been like 20 games since I stepped in [as] keeper,” said Walker, who was the starting keeper last season before moving to striker. “The defense starting like freaking out, because we were only up one.”

While the defense grew flustered, Walker had to stay calm under pressure. The reason Husband said she went to Walker, instead of staying with AnnaLysa Love, was simple.

Walker is aggressive. The Sea Kings tested her late.

CdM moved to a 3-4-3 alignment, trying to get some offensive punch. Kaylee O’Connor, a defender, was now playing up top.

The opposition took O’Connor down by the hair, setting up a direct free kick for CdM a few yards outside the box. With two minutes to go, Lauren Smits blasted a sure goal until Walker leaped to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

Middleton was in disbelief.

“When she struck that, I thought it was going in,” he said. “In my mind, I counted five corner kicks in the second half, so we had opportunities.”

The fifth corner kick came in the final minute and gave the Sea Kings one more chance to tie the game and force overtime.

Smits sent the ball into traffic. Alexa Mamatas, steps away from the goal line, got a foot on the ball on the ground. Mamatas had Walker in a vulnerable position. Somehow, Walker, on her knees and standing a leg’s length away from Mamatas, made the save.

“If she had hit it any other way, I don’t know if I would’ve got it,” said Walker, who stayed down like a catcher during a baseball game blocking a wild pitch in the dirt. “It was intense.”