ALISO VIEJO – Before Myranda Baca let her penalty kick fly for Aliso Niguel, Zoe Clevely already knew what she had to do to make the save for Edison.
By the way Baca lined up and where she planted her foot, Clevely could see that a shot was headed for the upper-right corner.
So even before the ball left the turf at Aliso Niguel High, Clevely was already leaping into the air. The ball went just where she suspected, her two hands batting it away to deliver the Aliso Cup championship for the Chargers.
In total, Clevely stopped two of the Wolverines’ four PKs, securing a 3-1 victory on penalties after the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Monday night.
“She gave me a tell,” Clevely said. “PKs are a mental game. I have been working on them. I try different things every time to see what works.”
This is the first time the Chargers have won this tournament which features one of the deepest fields in the county. Edison coach Kerry Crooks said this triumph gives her girls the confidence to know that they can compete with the best.
“And that is all we are trying to do right now is compete,” she said. “We are just trying to get better. The girls have been showing grit. Even when they are down, they just keep working.”
Trailing by a goal in the 66th minute, Amy Feinstein fought off the two Wolverines marking her, and unleashed a shot from the top of the box that tied the score. It was one of the few opportunities the Chargers (5-1) had. Aliso Niguel, on the other hand, took shot after shot at Clevely with Remy Matthews giving the Wolverines a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute when she curled her corner kick into the goal.
“We played well,” said Aliso Niguel coach Randy Dodge, “but we have to finish our chances.”
Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com
