This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

GIRLS SOCCER: Leigh Eliminated in CCS Opening Round Heartbreaker

Late goal by Los Altos forces overtime; game ends in PK's.

Los Altos 2, Leigh 2 (LA 5-4 PK’s)

The Star: The junior combo of team captain Zarette Munoz and junior forward Hayley Wilson were the two best players on the field for the majority of the Central Coast Section Division II matchup. Leigh, the No. 8 seed in the draw, had another junior get things started on the right foot in the 15th minute of play. Sarah Crosby beat her mark to the ball and drove a hot shot into the top of the cage to put Leigh ahead 1-0. Munoz assisted on the first goal, then got to watch a beautiful strike from just a few yards away on the second Leigh scoring tally. Wilson answered a Los Altos goal with a world-class strike from just outside the 30-yard marker. The blast flew into the top right corner of the cage to put Leigh ahead 2-1 in the 44th minute.

The Turning Point: Los Altos junior Sasha Pchenitchnikova scored one goal and assisted on another, helping her team fend off elimination and move on to Saturday’s Central Coast Section Girls Soccer quarterfinals. Pchenitchnikova snuck in a goal into the right corner of the cage two minutes into the second half to tie things up at one before striking a beautiful free kick bender that setup the game tying goal in the final minute of play. The free kick flew around the Leigh wall of defenders and landed in the goalie box. Senior defender Hannah Moehling poked the loose ball behind the diving Leigh keeper to even things up at 2-2 with only seconds left in the 80-minute affair.

Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Quote: “It’s disappointing to know that you’re probably the better team and you’re going home,” Leigh head coach Michele Kennedy said after the gut wrenching home defeat. “We’ve had trouble finishing all year and we didn’t finish again today. It’s been a good season with some ups-and-downs. We just stopped playing soccer late in the game and it cost us.”

 What's Next? Leigh will have to wait until next season to get things going again. One scary proposition for the rest of the Mount Hamilton League: Leigh returns its entire roster for the 2011-12 campaign.

Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bottom Line: The Longhorns held the lead for 63 minutes of the 80-minute game. Stung by a last ditch goal in the games waning moments, Leigh was unable to score in the two 10-minute overtime periods or outgun Los Altos in the five shooters apiece penalty kick showdown. Without a senior on the roster, this group will be a contender again next season and for the foreseeable future.

—————————

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?