FULLERTON – It was the script that Rosary girls soccer coach Sean Melendez had seen played out throughout the season.
The Royals were in the heat of battle, locked in another low-scoring affair with a top-ranked team.
Battle the Royals did, and in the end, they were rewarded with a point after achieving a scoreless tie against No. 5 Santa Margarita on Tuesday at Fullerton College.
Eighth-ranked Rosary had lost to Cathedral Catholic of San Diego (MaxPreps’ No. 2 team in the state) by a score of 2-0, and to Aliso Niguel (OCVarsity’s top-ranked team) in a game that ended, 1-0.
The result was different this time, as Rosary (8-3-3, 1-0-1) received some timely clears from its back line.
Roisin Allaeddini found herself in the middle of the chaos in front of the Royals’ goal. The junior twice headed the ball off her own goal line to preserve a tie that could have a big impact on the outcome of the race for the league title.
The second effort came in the 79th minute. Santa Margarita lofted a corner kick into the box, and Natalie Kennedy redirected the cross toward the left side of the cage, but Allaeddini was there.
“I was afraid that I was going to hit the post because, that one, I just literally jumped straight up,” Allaeddini said of the play.
After trading a couple of chances in the first half, the defending CIF-SS Division 1 champion Eagles carried the play for the last 40 minutes. Santa Margarita (4-4-4, 0-0-1) sent 10 shots toward the Rosary net in the second half, forcing Royals goalkeeper Emma Toohey to make four saves. Toohey finished with six stops.
Chloe Boice and Madison Louderback had good scoring chances for the Eagles during their surge. Boice grounded a header that Noelle Nisco blocked, and Louderback had her goal-side attempt squared away by Toohey.
“They’re really good at blocking the passes, and it was really hard to get through them,” Louderback said of Rosary’s defense. “Usually, we get to use our speed to run by most defenders, but they did a really good job of blocking our passes.”
The Royals came within inches of getting on the scoreboard in the first half. Olivia Lacasto took a free kick from 25 yards out. The attempt went cross-cage, slamming off the top-left corner of the goal before the Eagles were able to clear the rebound from danger.
Melendez was pleased with his team’s effort, noting the importance of accumulating points in the Trinity League.
“They’re big, they’re strong, they’re fast,” he said of the Eagles. “I think that we’re fine. I think that for us to take a point in the Trinity League, every point counts. It still keeps us undefeated (in league).”
The two teams meet again Feb. 5 at Santa Margarita.
