La Mirada girls soccer returns to CIF semifinals
La Mirada's Amarissa Alvizo (14) scores the first of two goals against South Torrance in their CIF quarterfinal girls soccer game at John Glenn High School in Norwalk on Tuesday. La Mirada defeated South 4-0. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
LA MIRADA – After two close games to start the post season, the La Mirada High School Girls Soccer team is on a major roll.
That roll began at the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs, as the Matadores defeated visiting South Torrance, 4-0, Tuesday afternoon in the quarterfinals at John Glenn High.
La Mirada has been on a three-year road trip, as the football stadium on campus has been unplayable and is due to be remodeled soon.
In the first round, the Matadores defeated Palos Verde, 1-0, in the first overtime period with a golden goal by senior defender Marissa Marquez and in another scoreless regulation game in the second round, defeated Mission Viejo, 3-1 on PK’s.
The three Matadores that scored penalty kicks were Marquez, senior defender Emma Viayra and senior midfielder Ryley Candelario.
The Matadores, with the win, improved to 13-0-2 and have allowed only one goal all season. The win also guarantees a second consecutive trip to the CIF State playoffs that begin after the CIF-SS championships.
They will play Claremont (14-3), who won in the quarterfinals on PK’s, 3-1, in the semifinals Saturday (May 23) at John Glenn at 5:00 pm.
La Mirada's Amarissa Alvizo (14) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against South Torrance in their CIF quarterfinal girls soccer game at John Glenn High School in Norwalk on Tuesday. La Mirada defeated South 4-0. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
The winner of Saturday’s semifinal will travel to either Saugas (8-1-4) or Downey (16-3-3) for the CIF Championship next weekend, May 28 or 29.
La Mirada lost in last years’ semifinals to eventual CIF Champion Mira Costa.
This will mark the third time in the last four years that the Matadores have advanced to the CIF semifinals and sixth in the last seven years.
“We just keep playing,” La Mirada Girls Soccer coach Dave Christensen said. “That’s really the secret to our lasting success. We’ve had a good run.
“We go out and we know our opportunities and we know people who have done it before and why not us and why not keep going. This is a dog fight. This is to go to the semis, to go to state. It’s great.”
Junior forward Amarissa Alvizo led the way for La Mirada with two goals, which now gives her a team-leading 15 for the season. Also scoring was Marquez with a penalty shot.
The game was a defensive battle in the first half with both teams not being able to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities.
La Mirada’s best chance in the first half came on a left-footed shot by sophomore midfielder Kyra Hamilton in the 34th minute as South Torrance goal keeper Sophia Keel jumped to knock the ball out on the right side of the goal.
Six minutes prior to that attempt, Candelario took a corner kick that was bending right to Keel, who knocked the shot away with her hand.
South had its best chance in the 36th minute as Alexi Anaya, from 30 yards out, hit the right post.
Either goalie had any real tough saves, but La Mirada’s Sage Strohman, who is headed to Army’s West Point next fall, recorded her 15th shutout in regulation.
“Our defense has been strong all year,” Strohman said. “It’s a cliché, but defense wins championships. Teams don’t get any easy (shots on us); it’s got to be a good one.
“I didn’t have really anything the whole game. The second half I had one with my foot, but it was very easy for me.”
La Mirada's Emma Pacheco (15) celebrates their win over South Torrance with Amarissa Alvizo (14) in their CIF quarterfinal girls soccer game at John Glenn High School in Norwalk on Tuesday. La Mirada defeated South 4-0. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
Strohman knew that the first goal by the Matadores in the second half was huge.
“That goal really inspired us and got us going and from there we scored three more,” Strohman added. “It’s nice for us because we have been going overtime and PK’s, so it’s nice to get one in regular time.”
Strohman, however, had her biggest save in the second round in the PK portion of the game against Mission Viejo. The senior stopped the shot that sent the Matadores to the quarterfinals against South.
“Sage just makes everything look simple,” said Christensen, of his keeper. “We take a lot of pride in the fact that in soccer you call it clean sheets (shutouts).”
In the South Torrance game in the second half, Strohman kept her scoreless streak in regulation alive with a save off of a corner kick by Nicolette Wyrick that saw the ball land in front of the goal, but Strohman jumped to make the save.
The first goal came in the 43rd minute as senior midfielder Caitlyn Hickman had a throw-in that went all the way to the far side of the goal and was an own goal by South. Hickman gets credit for the first goal of the game.
“Caitlyn Hickman does special things for us,” Christensen added. “She is fearless in front of the net.”
That was evident in the first-round win on the winning goal by Marquez, as she was right in front of the Palos Verde goalie.
“When the ball was chipped into the box, she ran in and the goal keeper saw her and she wanted none of that,” said Christensen, of Hickman’s presence in front of the keeper.
As for her long throw-in, Christensen again knew of Hickman’s importance to the team.
“Her (Hickman) throw was big and she just has a presence,” Christensen said. “She’s super athletic and she does athletic things that a lot of other soccer girls don’t do.
“Hickman is like a sledge hammer and Kat (Cassandra Villanueva) is like a surgical instrument.”
Christensen was also referring to Villanueva, who is a nonstop forward that has accounted for 10 goals this season and is in constant motion with amazing footwork in the attacking third of the field.
“We’re blessed to have that speed up top,” Christensen added.
Christensen believes in his defense as they have only given up one goal this season.
“I believe defense wins championships,” he said.
Just three minutes later in the 46th minute, Alvizo scored the first of her two goals to give the Matadores a 2-0 lead.
Alvizo picked up the ball, turned and in between two South defenders put the ball in the right corner.
“It was really awesome,” said Alvizo, who broke her knee in last years’ quarterfinals. “The past two games we won in overtime and now we won 4-0. “I never thought I would have scored two goals. That’s just crazy.
“I think (Caitlyn) Hickman was on the ground, her and Milan (Nimeh), and I just intercepted it and touched it forward and shot. We’re just really hyped right now.”
The third goal came by way of a penalty shot by Marquez in the 73rd minute for the 3-0 lead.
“I was very confident going into it, very focused and shut everybody out and shot the ball into the left corner,” Marquez said. “That was pretty much the game.”
The icing on the cake was a late goal in the 88th minute by Alvizo for her second of the game and the 4-0 lead.
“Scoring these goals is huge for us with the momentum going into the CIF semi’s,” Christensen concluded.