Aliso Niguel falls in sudden-death OT
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Wolverines lose to No. 1 seed Long Beach Wilson, 2-1, in Division I semifinal.
ALISO VIEJO Aliso Niguel girls soccer coach Randy Dodge called his team a group of overachievers, but his team's path to the CIF-Southern Section Division I final was blocked by a group of high achievers.
Freshman defender Kimberly Marshall scored in the fourth minute of sudden-death overtime to lead visiting Long Beach Wilson to a 2-1 victory in a semifinal Tuesday.
Wilson (27-1-3) came into the match as the top-seeded team in the division, making its fourth semifinal appearance in five seasons. The Bruins are making their first appearance in the divisional final.
The Wolverines (15-3-7) almost came away with the victory when Zaneta Wyne's breakaway shot hit the crossbar less than one minute into the second sudden-death period. Dodge said his team did its best against a tough opponent.
“They're the best team in the division,” Dodge said. “We overachieved. I thought we had a great season.”
Aliso Niguel started the game as the aggressor and took the lead on a goal by Charlotte Wisniewski in the seventh minute.
Dodge and Bruins coach Jason Kirkwood said they planned for Aliso Niguel to take the momentum in the early going. Kirkwood said he didn't expect the Wolverines to score.
“It kind of backfired,” Kirkwood said. “The tide did turn after the first 10 or 15 minutes, but we were down a goal.”
Wilson goalie Larrisa Heck made a save in crowd, but couldn't hold onto the ball. Wisniewski collected the ball and netted it before Heck could get back into position.
The Bruins tied the score in the 31st minute when Danielle Russell scored from 2 yards out off of a throw-in from Sam Baker.
Aliso Niguel was attempting to get back to the divisional final for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when the Wolverines won the title. Dodge said he hoped his team's performance could earn consideration for the state tournament.
“We took the No. 1 team to sudden-death overtime,” Dodge said. “I think we have a good chance. We'll see what happens.”
Contact the writer: efields@ocregister.com
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