HUNTINGTON BEACH – The fate of the Sunset League wasn’t going to be decided in one match, but Edison and Huntington Beach painted a vivid picture of what’s to come during their 100-minute battle Thursday night.
Chargers center back Rachel Flory headed in the tying goal off a corner kick in the 73rd minute, sending the game into overtime where No. 2 Edison and the sixth-ranked Oilers battled to a 2-2 draw in the league opener at Edison High.
“I thought we gave the fans a good show,” Huntington Beach coach Raul Ruiz said. “(Edison) is a very quality team, well-coached. And we’ve already proven ourselves that we are the quality team that we’re looking for.”
Thursday’s match provided both squads an opportunity to seize early control of one of the county’s top leagues, after Edison edged Huntington Beach for the Sunset League title a season ago.
The Chargers (8-1-3) took a 1-0 advantage into halftime after Cassidy Helenihi drilled home a goal in the 34th minute.
The Oilers (10-1-4) knotted the score, 1-1, in the 49th minute after junior Sawyer Koelsch saw Darcy Weiser make a run down the right side of the pitch. Upon receiving a pass inside the box, Weiser controlled the ball with her first touch before booting home the equalizer in the side netting past Chargers keeper Jessica Neighbors.
Forward Yvo Martinez put Huntington Beach ahead in the 68th minute, floating the go-ahead goal over Neighbors’ head from 20 yards out, putting the Oilers up, 2-1.
Five minutes later, Edison earned a corner kick, setting the scene for Flory’s heroics.
“Rachel’s a defender, she’s been coming up and nobody expects her because she’s a nice girl and kind of slides in there,” Edison coach Kerry Crooks explained. “She’s been huge on corners.”
Flory made the most of a near-post service from Helenihi, heading the ball past Oilers keeper Kate Hart to tie the score.
“I have a lot of young players – a lot of freshmen and sophomores out there,” Crooks continued. “This was kind of like, ‘Welcome to the Sunset League.’”
In the South Coast League:
No. 1 Aliso Niguel 2, San Clemente 0: The Wolverines (10-1) opened league play with a victory as Remy Matthews and Lauren Miller scored goals. Aliso goalkeeper Alyssa Noh made four saves.
In the Sea View League:
No. 3 Tesoro 2, San Juan Hills 1: After losing its first match of the season Tuesday, the Titans (11-1-3) bounced back and opened league with a victory over the Stallions (6-7-1). Sofie Kreitl and Kate O’Connor each scored goals for Tesoro.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
