Heartbreaking end to Tigers’ run
Top-seeded South Hills scored two second-half goals to defeat the No. 3 seed San Luis Obispo girls soccer team 2-1 in the Division 3 final of the CIF-Southern California Regional Girls Soccer Championships on Saturday at Covina District Field.
South Hills came out swinging in the first half. The No. 9 team in the nation, according to MaxPreps, put pressure on the San Luis Obispo defense and reeled off seven shots while the Tigers attempted none.
The South Hills offense was persistent in the second half, too. South Hills finally broke through with a goal after earning a free kick about 30 yards from the goal. When the ball was whipped in by South Hills’ Hannah Shields, a pass by Skylar Robledo found Emily Roberts right in front of the goal. She tapped it home with 16 minutes to go.
South Hills looked like it would cruise to victory, but San Luis Obispo scored six minutes later off a free kick of its own. Rylie Johnson’s cross was bounced around in the box before sophomore Emily Lemiere poked a shot in the back of the net.
“It was just like this big adrenaline rush. Like ‘Oh my God we are still in it’ kind of thing. It was just crazy,” Lemiere said.
The Tigers pushed forward in the final minutes looking for a game-winning goal, but that left the door open for a South Hills’ counterattack.
“They are a heck of a team, but we went at them with 4-3-3 and started creating some chances,” coach Leslie O’Connor said.
The Huskies’ senior duo of Amber Marinero and Hailey Zerbel (an Arizona State commit) combined for the game-winning goal with six minutes left.
South Hills took advantage of being at home. The perfectly kept artificial turf was about 20 yards wider than San Luis Obispo’s home field. South Hills spread the Tigers defense wide and worked the ball up the wings, creating chance after chance.
South Hills got off 15 shots on a Tigers’ defense that had only allowed 10 goals all season. Seven of those shots were saved by sophomore goalkeeper Eislee Sohner. Sohner, who was battling illness and a small case of pink eye, kept South Hills at bay with a kick save with 10 minutes to go in the first half. She also had three saves in the second half.
“From looking back in the very beginning, from thinking that in the beginning I couldn’t even dive (for a ball). We have improved by a lot,” Sohner said. “There is nothing to be really mad about. We made it this far and we made it to semifinals of CIF (SS), so I’m proud of us.”
With its runner-up finish in the Division 3 CIF Southern Region, San Luis Obispo tied a school record for wins and became the first soccer team in San Luis Obispo County history to win a game in the state tournament.
O’Connor, who is the principal at San Luis Obispo High, said he’ll put some thought into whether he will return as coach next season.
“I will do the Peyton Manning and talk it over with my family and digest it for a week and figured it out,” he said. “My next job will probaly be to find a quality coach to try and coach these kids.”
SLO County’s top teams
The Mission Prep girls basketball team has the most experience with deep runs in the regional and state playoffs, reaching the state finals seven times. Here’s a list of some of the best recent performances by teams from San Luis Obispo County:
2015: The Paso Robles boys cross country team finishes third at the state meet.
2014: The Paso Robles football team loses in the state semifinals.
2012: The Mission Prep girls basketball team loses in the state final.
2010: The Mission Prep boys soccer team loses in the first round of the Southern California Regionals.
2009: The Mission Prep girls soccer team loses in the first round of the Southern California Regionals.
2008: The Coast Union girls volleyball team loses in the Southern California Regional semifinals.
This story was originally published March 13, 2016 at 3:19 AM with the headline "Heartbreaking end to Tigers’ run."