They were the two biggest goals Briana Meyer netted in her life. Both were brilliant strikes, and their beauty was matched only by their importance.
Tied with Chino Hills late in the second half, and overtime a mere minutes away, the Monarchs senior midfielder drilled a shot from inside the box. It sailed past the Huskies’ goalkeeper, giving Mater Dei a dramatic victory, 2-1, on Thursday in a CIF-SS Division 1 girls soccer quarterfinal match.
Mater Dei will travel to play Long Beach Poly on Tuesday in the semifinals.
“There’s been times where my team has done amazing things, but this is one of the highlights of my soccer career,” Meyer explained. “It was awesome.”
The senior’s winning strike came in the first minute of stoppage time.
“I’m so excited for the girls, this is such an important step and it’s truly a team effort,” Monarchs coach Matty West said. “Briana Meyer scored two sensational goals for us and she’s been working hard all season. I couldn’t be happier for her.”
After a scoreless first half, Meyer gave the Monarchs the lead just two minutes into the second.
Mater Dei defender Margaret Schmidt sailed a pass from the center line to Meyer who was positioned atop the Chino Hills 18-yard box. After controlling the long ball with her left foot, she connected on her right foot for the match’s first strike.
The Huskies (13-5-6) scored the equalizer five minutes later, when Dayna Garcia sent in a one-hopper from 25 yards out.
Mater Dei forward Olivia Ware prevented a Chino Hills goal kick late when she flicked back a bouncing ball that was headed toward the endline. Her pass traveled across the box to Meyer, who used her left foot to send home the winner.
“The entire team has committed to seeing how far we can take this,” West added. “And we’re not done yet.”
Also In Division 1:
Long Beach Poly 0, Huntington Beach 0 (Poly wins on PKs, 6-5): The second-seeded Oilers (17-2-7) fell to the visiting Jackrabbits, 6-5, in penalty kicks.
Laguna Hills 3, Los Osos 0: The Hawks (19-2-1) broke a scoreless halftime stalemate with three second-half goals, punching their ticket to the semifinals. They will be host to Long Beach Wilson on Tuesday.
Long Beach Wilson 1, Santa Margarita 0: The visiting Eagles (12-7-5) saw their bid for a second straight CIF-SS championship come to an end against the Bruins, who upset top-seeded Aliso Niguel in the second round.
In Division 2:
Oaks Christian 2, Northwood 1: Dani Solaru scored the Timberwolves’ lone goal in the first half, but the Lions broke the tie with a second-half goal. Northwood finished the season at 17-6-3 and won its first league title since 2008.
In Division 3:
Cypress 5, Torrance 1: Jenna Dages’ three-goal effort highlighted a dominant performance that secured a spot for the Centurions (19-7-2) in the semifinals. Sydnee Busby and Hailee Allard also netted goals for Cypress, which will be at Quartz Hill for Tuesday’s match.
Brea Olinda 1, Buena 0: Emily Carman’s first-half goal proved to be the difference for the Wildcats (18-8-3) in their victory over the visiting Bulldogs. Chloe Ramos’ five saves in net preserved the shutout.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
