Excalibur CupSaturday's scheduleAt Foothill High •Semifinals: Tesoro vs. Los Alamitos, 9:30 a.m.; Foothill vs. Santa Margarita, 9:30 a.m. •Championship: 2:30 p.m. |
Tesoro's defense stops another team
The Titans defeat No. 10 Trabuco Hills, 1-0, on penalty kicks in the Excalibur Cup.
Despite its offensive shortcomings, the Tesoro girls soccer team followed a similar path to remain alive in its quest for the Excalibur Cup.
Danielle Romanowski, Jaclyn Farah, Allison Brown and Courtney Giovanni each converted penalty kicks, as the Titans slipped past No. 10 Trabuco Hills, 1-0, by winning 4-1 in penalty kicks in a third-round game Friday at Foothill High.
“This game could have gone either way," said Titans coach Nick Schofield, whose team has won all three of its tournament games by penalty kicks. “We are struggling to get goals, but we’ve been strong defensively.”
Despite a couple of early chances to score in the first half, the Titans (5-4-3) could not maintain their offensive attack and relied on their stellar defense to maintain a scoreless tie through regulation. Forwards Dani Benton and Sarah Halverson led an aggressive offense for the Mustangs (7-2-2), who maintained constant pressure on the Titans goal throughout the contest. Goalies Pagal Sloane and Emily Lappi combined for 10 saves.
In the penalty kick session, the quartet of Titans kickers that helped lead the team to their first two tournament victories delivered again.
In Saturday's semifinals, Tesoro battles Los Alamitos, while Foothill plays Santa Margarita, both at 9:30 a.m. The winners will meet for the tournament championship at 2:30 p.m.
In other Excalibur Tournament games:
No. 4 Los Alamitos 1, No. 2 El Toro 0: Greer Wilk, Jessica Yukihiro and Anne Wethe connected on penalty kicks as the Griffins (7-3-4) knocked off the Chargers (6-2-4), winning, 3-0, in penalty kicks in a third-round game at Foothill High.
No. 3 Santa Margarita 3, Edison 2: Michelle Loftus connected on the winning sudden-death penalty kick for the second consecutive game for the Eagles (8-1-3). The Chargers (4-3-4) were outscored, 6-5, in penalty kicks in third-round action.
Foothill 2, Buena 1: Charney Burke’s second half goal broke a 1-1 tie to help propel the host Knights (7-3-1) past defending tournament champion Buena in a third-round contest.
Contact the writer: jeichelberger@ocregister.com
