PK ends Estancia’s season at La Quinta

Reporting from La Quinta —  Overtime in the CIF Southern Section boys’ soccer playoffs are played with the golden-goal rule in effect.

The conclusion of Wednesday’s Division 3 second-round contest had Estancia High’s players turning different shades of red.

La Quinta was awarded a penalty kick just three minutes into overtime, and Cesar Rodriguez scored on the ensuing shot to lift the host Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the No. 3-seeded Eagles.

The Blackhawks (17-6-3) will be at Rialto Carter (15-5-4) in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Carter defeated Thousand Oaks 5-1 in the second round on Wednesday.

Estancia players protested the penalty kick call the moment it was made. The controversial call that ended the Eagles’ season came after an Estancia defender clipped a La Quinta player in the box.

After Rodriguez’s penalty kick powered off the right hand of goalkeeper Yonathan Lopez and into the back of the net, the Eagles and those who had traveled to support the team continued to voice their displeasure.

“I’m not one to react to something that I think is right,” Eagles senior forward Andy Martinez said. “Honestly, I would put it down on anything that I love that that was not a penalty kick. It just hurts me because these guys have worked their butts off to get to where they are at in Division 3.

“To have the game robbed like that is something that hurts not only me, but everyone else. We have 18 seniors, so all you’re going to see is tears.”

Estancia (14-4-6) took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute on a skillful goal by senior midfielder Sergio Gutierrez. Martinez flipped the ball ahead to Gutierrez, who took three touches — off his head, then his chest, and finally his knee — before swinging his right leg through and sending the ball into the upper right corner.

La Quinta proved the more dangerous of the clubs thereafter. Senior goalkeeper Logan Prescott was sending his goal kicks beyond the midfield line, and the Blackhawks had the speed to track them down.

In the 36th minute, La Quinta finally broke through. Junior midfielder Daniel Martinez played a pass across to Rodriguez. He took the aerial offering off his chest, and it laid flat for Jonathan Delgado. The junior forward walked into a shot from the top of the box and beat Lopez (six saves).

“They were very fast in transition, from defense to offense,” Eagles coach Robert Castellano said. “We were trying to catch up. They had the speed factor, and that is something that we kind of missed in the midfield throughout the season.

“Their forwards were dangerous. They were fast. They weren’t super technical, but they exposed us with their speed in the middle. They countered really well.”

After halftime, Orange Coast League champion Estancia only put one shot on target. As the game went on, it appeared that the game was officiated more closely. There were three yellow cards issued in a seven-minute span late in regulation.

When La Quinta received the penalty kick, the Blackhawks did not hesitate to call upon Rodriguez, who had been a creator of opportunities throughout the game. He appreciated the sentiment, considering his recent history in that situation.

“I had missed a penalty that could have possibly gotten us a win in [the Desert Valley League],” Rodriguez said of the match the Blackhawks ended up losing. “Just the opportunity that my teammates gave me to take this big PK, it gave me a lot of confidence. They were probably shouting before I shot it, but I heard nothing. I was just focused on the shot and what I had to do.”

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