Martino's big day pushes Beckman past Northwood

IRVINE - In a back-and-forth match featuring between teams fighting for an automatic spot in the CIF-SS playoffs, junior Nikki Martino provided the spark that helped Beckman inch closer to the postseason.

Martino scored two goals, including the go-ahead score late in the second half, as the Patriots defeated the Northwood Timberwolves, 3-2, on Wednesday at Harvard Athletic Park.

“Just like the last game against them, this one was really close and we gave it all that we had,” Martino said. “We have to try as best we can to pull out wins in these next three games.”

The Patriots (6-9-3, 4-2-1), who lost to Northwood, 3-2, in the teams' first meeting on Jan.  5, are now in sole possession of second place in the Pacific Coast League, two points ahead of the Timberwolves (11-6-3, 3-3-1). Both teams have three league matches remaining.

“Northwood is a very good team that touches the ball well and the girls were able to gut it out today,” Patriots coach Gordon Scott said.

The Timberwolves had an early chance to take the lead in the second minute match. A foul in the box by the Patriots resulted in a penalty kick attempt by Samantha Solaru, but Beckman junior goalie Kori Decker dove to her left and knocked the ball away from the goal.

Martino gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. Finding space just outside the top the box, she blasted a shot past Timberwolves goalie Emma Connelly and into the back of the net.

The Timberwolves tied the match just before the intermission. After Beckman was again whistled for a foul in the box, Kelsey Heflin lined the ensuing penalty kick past Decker into the net.

Northwood nearly took the lead in the 45th minute, but Decker made another big diving save on a free kick by Gabriela Mackey.

Beckman reclaimed the lead in 53rd minute, as sophomore Molly Cody received a pass from junior teammate Haley Ribiero at the top of the box and blasted a high line drive into the goal.

But the Timberwolves answered with the match equalizer in the 61st minute when Heflin lofted a free kick toward the middle of the box that was headed into the back of the net by Rhea Pasule.

Then in the 73rd minute, Ribiero floated a pass over the Timberwolves defense to a streaking Martino, who raced toward the goal and booted a shot past Connelly.

“I saw my teammate (Haley Ribiero) looking up and I knew that I was going to be onside,” Martino said. “As I was running, I felt confident, heard all my teammates yelling at me, and was just thinking of trying to get the goal in for the team.”

Northwood maintained offensive pressure in the final moments of the match, but Patriots junior Allison Kerler, sophomore Sam Rodriguez, and Martino each cleared balls away from the attacking third to help Beckman hold on for the win.

“There were a lot of ebbs and flows, and though we put pressure on them, we lacked quality in the final third,” Northwood coach Chris Woolley said. “In the final three league games, I want to see us shoring up defensively and improve our quality in final third to score goals."