Minar's goal helps Edison outlast Los Alamitos

HUNTINGTON BEACH- With a determined sprint down the field and a well-timed sweep of her right leg, Edison sophomore Audrey Minar put her team's defense of its' Sunset League title back on track.
    
Minar scored the match-winning goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, as the Chargers slipped past the Los Alamitos Griffins 1-0 Thursday at Edison High.
    
“We needed this game,” said Minar. “As a team, we know that we have to just stay strong and keep fighting.”
    
The Chargers (12-5-2, 3-1-1) and Griffins (8-5-5, 3-1-1) are now tied atop the Sunset League with five league matches remaining for both teams, including a regular season finale meeting on February 9th at Laurel School in Los Alamitos.
    
“Los Alamitos is a quality side and we knew that if we wanted a chance to defend our league title, we had to win this one,” Chargers coach Kerry “Mac” Crooks said. “The win puts it back to an even field and hopefully the girls can build off this.”
    
It was a painful opening to the match for Edison, who lost junior defender Brooke Webster to a right knee injury less than 15 seconds into the match.
    
The Chargers established heavy offensive pressure in the attacking third at the onset of the match, as senior Angelisa Cortez and sophomore Mackenzie Cerda each had shots that were saved by Griffins senior goalie Emily Woodworth in the first six minutes.
    
Edison nearly took the lead in the seventh minute. Cerda found an open space and lofted a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced straight down, but failed to cross the goal line.
    
After surviving the Chargers heavy pressure, Los Alamitos began to find its attack behind junior Raya Young and seniors Lindsay Salcido and Callie Taylor.
    
Though the Griffins controlled possession throughout the remainder of the first half, they were unable to capitalize.
    
Los Alamitos continued to attack the Chargers early in the second half, and in the 49th minute, nearly took the lead. Taylor managed to get a ball in the middle of the box and float a left-footed shot that twisted toward the goal, but ricocheted off the far post and bounced away.
    
The Griffins continued to possess the ball into the attacking third, but the Chargers defense stiffened, as junior Sierra Krenik led the defensive effort that thwarted scoring chances by clearing ball away from Griffin attackers.
    
“They were playing really aggressively and we just held our line and stayed strong in the back,” Krenik said.
    
In the 73rd minute, Krenik cleared a ball down the sideline that was chased in a full sprint by Minar and Griffins defender Kirsten Buono. Minar got to the ball just before Buono could clear it, swept her right foot around Buono, and tapped a shot that rolled into the far post corner of the goal for the deciding goal of the match.
    
“Audrey is a fighter and has worked hard all season,” Crooks said. “That goal was all about work ethic.”
    
Edison’s defense shut down the Griffins the rest of the match to close out the victory.
    
“We were attacking them in their defensive third in the second, they started getting ball over the defense, and we made one mistake,” Griffins coach Steve Soler said “We came in here expecting a high intensity game and I was impressed by the way we played.”