Girls Soccer: Titans Dominate but Lose in Penalties

Dominating possession and creating goal-scoring opportunities are not always enough to win a soccer match.

The San Marino girls soccer team found that out the hard way Thursday in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division VI playoffs when the Titans hosted Ocean View of Huntington Beach.

Despite being in control for most of the match, the Titans were eliminated 4-2 on penalty kicks after the match ended in 1-1 draw.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more from my girls. We played the way we wanted to play,” San Marino coach Jaime Acuna said. “It happens sometimes that luck is not on your side. We had the game in our hands, we just didn’t put the ball away.”

San Marino (17-4-2) nearly won the match with two minutes left in extra time as the Titans put the ball in the net, only to have it called back because of a handball when Savannah De Sousa slightly extended her left arm to control the ball before putting it in.

“From my angle it didn’t look like a hand ball. It looked like she hit it with her stomach,” Acuna said. “It looked clean. He’s the ref. He called it, and you move on.”

Ocean View coach Dave Deaton said he thought his team had lost the match.

“I didn’t see the handball but when I looked at the sideline ref, he stepped on the field. I thought it was over,” Deaton said. “The referee called it whether it was a hand ball or not.”

Ocean View (14-9-3) won the match in penalties when goalkeeper Mallory Koci saved penalty kick shots from De Sousa and Nicole Jenkins.

The Seahawks gave San Marino goalie Carlee Beckler little trouble for most of the match.

With nine minutes left in regulation, Boise State-bound midfielder Mikhaila Bowden intercepted a San Marino throw-in and from about 20 yards out and kicked the ball high into the air toward the Titans’ goal.

Bowden’s kick ended up landing just over the head of Beckler and into the goal.

“The goal by Mikhaila was definitely a lucky goal. That’s happened against us many times so to have that go in our favor was unbelievable,” said Deaton. “Those kinds of shots are not really shots. They’re let’s-put-it-up-there-and-hope-for-the-best.”

San Marino got on the board in the 35^th minute, when right back Lindsay Miller placed a perfect ball to Hope Welder at the edge of the goal box. Welder was able to slip the ball past Koci.

The Titans had several quality chances in the second half. In the 54^th minute, Alana Hillman fired a left-footed inside the goal box right at Koci. St. Mary’s-bound Annie Wenzlau’s 57^th minute shot nearly got past Koci, who made a diving save.

In the 60^th minute, Koci had to make a great blocking save on a shot by Jordyn Duncan. Alex Schuster had a chance to score on the follow-up, but her shot was cleared off of the goal line by an Ocean View defender.

Ocean View’s only threatening scoring opportunity came in the 62nd minute when Aleanna Vargas headed a throw-in from Bowden that nearly caught the right post before Beckler knocked it away for a corner kick.

San Marino had another chance to win in the first overtime period when Wenzlau hit the top cross bar on a free kick in the 84^th minute.