LOS ALAMITOS – The Los Alamitos girls soccer team has had a lot of success this season being patient, choosing to hold possession and work for scoring opportunities.
On Tuesday, the Griffins didn’t have to wait long.
Los Alamitos again dominated possession, but this time the scoring chances were immediate as the Griffins thrashed visiting Palos Verdes, 4-0, in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.
Los Alamitos (22-4-3) will play at top-seeded JSerra on Friday in the quarterfinals.
Los Alamitos waited until the final 10 minutes to score in its first-round match last week, but it came out firing against Palos Verdes (18-4-3).
In the 10th minute, senior Ally LaCarra Platt took a pass down the right flank and swung a ball into the penalty box. Junior Ashley Soto calmly put the ball away to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead.
“It was good to make a statement to all the other teams in CIF,” Soto said. “The early goals took a lot of pressure off of our defense.”
A few minutes later Palos Verdes turned the ball over in Los Alamitos’ attacking third and the ball found its way to the feet of senior Amanda Jones. Jones was 1-on-1 with the Palos Verdes keeper and she confidently guided a shot in the right side of the net to give the Griffins a 2-0 lead.
“We had a different mindset coming into this game and we knew we had to finish early,” Jones said. “I was confident going into that shot because it’s something that we work on. Thanks to my coaches, I’m definitely confident in finishing.”
Los Alamitos sophomore goalkeeper Lindsay Kellogg was not tested too often in the match, but she made a few brilliant saves.
In the 37th minute, a rocket was sent her way but she pushed it over the bar to protect a 2-0 lead going into halftime.
Kellogg made five saves in the match.
The Griffins put the game away in the second half with goals from sophomore Nicole Soto (58th minute) and LaCarra Platt (79th minute). LaCarra Platt, Jones and Ashley Soto all finished with a goal and an assist.
“I’m really proud that these girls are continuing to develop,” Griffins assistant coach Mossy Kennedy said. “We examined what we did wrong in the first round and looked to improve on that. It was satisfying to see the girls execute.”
