Girls’ Soccer: CdM falls behind
IRVINE — Veteran members of the Northwood High girls’ soccer team still remember the loss to Corona del Mar last year in the Pacific Coast League finale.
Back then, CdM scored three times in the final 20 minutes, rallying for a must-have 3-2 win to claim their fourth straight outright Pacific Coast League title. As exhilarating as the win was for the Sea Kings, it was devastating for the Timberwolves.
“We never wanted that to happen again,” Northwood junior striker Dani Solaru said. “The people who were there last year that remembered that game, that’s how we’re going to remember CdM, probably for the rest of the years that we’re playing. [They’re] tough competitors, and we have to go out and play as hard as we can, because we don’t want that to happen again.”
The rivals met again Thursday at Meadowood Park, again with first place in league on the line.
This time, it was Northwood’s late-game heroics that produced a 3-0 victory, putting the Timberwolves alone in first place in league.
Sophomore Talia Teltscher (70th minute), Solaru (75th minute) and senior Emily Martinez (77th minute) all scored late for Northwood, which is alone in first place after the first half of league play.
The Timberwolves are 4-0-1 in league, good for nine points. CdM (9-6-1, 3-1-1) has seven points.
CdM does not need extra motivation if it will rally to claim its fifth straight league title. Still, Northwood first-year coach Cory Dilbeck probably provided it after the final whistle.
“I don’t think they’ll catch us,” Dilbeck said with a laugh. “You can put that, verbatim. I don’t think anybody will catch us.”
Northwood certainly stepped it up late. The hosts got on the board first when Solaru connected on a through ball to Teltscher. Her shot was deflected by CdM junior keeper Skyler Gullick, but managed to find its way into the back of the net.
Prior to that goal, the match had been relatively even, with both teams garnering relatively few scoring chances.
“I think there was definitely just a stalemate,” Solaru said. “But then we got that goal off, and I think we all saw that we could win this game. Before we thought that maybe we could win, but then we scored and we knew for sure that we could win.”
Solaru doubled the lead after Rhea Palsule’s free kick from about 30 yards out. Solaru chased in the low line drive and made contact with Gullick, but no foul was called and Solaru put away the loose ball.
“The second goal was questionable,” CdM Coach Bryan Middleton said. “I don’t think [Gullick] exactly had 100% control of the ball, but [Solaru] ran through my keeper to get the ball in the back of the net. I guess it’s the judgment of the referee if it’s a foul or not, and he didn’t see it as a foul. Third goal, we folded there. I talked to my girls at the end. I’m not a screamer, but I gave them some points there, that they have to finish the game no matter what. You’ve got to play with a little pride there.”
Gullick made three saves for CdM, which for the majority of the game limited Northwood’s chances with defense by Birkley Sigband, Hailey Neumann, Ally Doherty and Christina Venturini.
CdM seemed to sustain momentum late in the first half, when Doherty crossed the ball in front to sophomore forward Taylor Rosen, whose shot was just wide. The Sea Kings also got three subsequent throw-ins deep in the Northwood end, two by Neumann and one by Brynn Motal, but were unable to generate a good scoring chance.
“If we get one of those in the first half or the first portion of the second half, I think it’s a little bit different of a game,” Middleton said. “But we let them stay in it. The first goal they scored was well-earned.”
Last year, CdM needed four straight wins to conclude league play to clinch the league title. Middleton knows the scenario is similar this year in the deep league. Beckman was in third place entering Thursday night’s game against Woodbridge, with an 0-0-4 record good for four points. Woodbridge (1-2-1 in league) was in fourth.
As far as Dilbeck’s proclamation that the Timberwolves will stay on top, Middleton cautioned against it.
“I would never say that,” Middleton said. This is year 14 for me. If he’s saying no one’s going to catch them, he’s got to be careful with that, because anything happens in league. In the second half of league, all of those coaches are going to make adjustments. Mike Ditta, the Woodbridge girls’ coach, is a UC Irvine men’s assistant coach ... I still think it’s completely open for Northwood, Beckman, Woodbridge and us.”
CdM continues league play when it hosts Irvine on Jan. 29.
