The Los Alamitos High girls soccer team reached the championship bracket of the Aliso Cup Tournament before a tie in regulation sent them to a consolation game. The Griffins played Yorba Linda to a 0-0 tie on Saturday, but lost the penalty kick shootout, 5-4, ending their chance for a tournament title.
The Griffins then ended the tournament with a 0-0 tie against Palos Verdes.
Los Alamitos had moved into the championship quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Orange Lutheran on Thursday at Laurel High School. The Griffins had tied Long Beach Wilson, 1-1 in their first pool play game and combined with the win over Orange Lutheran, won their pool.
In the win over Orange Lutheran, Sarah Sanger scored the first goal for the Griffins off an assist by Allie Emmons. Krystal DeRamos had a goal off a Sanger assist and Raya Young added the third after a blocked shot by Rachel Price.
The one goal against Long Beach Wilson was the only one allowed by the Griffin defense in regulation play. Head coach Steve Soler said the reason for their defensive success so far has not been complicated.
“We’re keeping it simple and limiting our mistakes in the back,” Soler said.
Orange Lutheran was able to get some pressure in the second half, but the Griffin defense kept them out of the net. Offensively, the Griffins are still looking for a little more consistency and creativity than they were able to produce against Orange Lutheran. Soler said the difference in that game was capitalizing on the pressure they were able to create.
“We were able to finish on set pieces which is important,” Soler said.
The Griffins will host Santa Margarita on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. at Laurel School and will then play in two more big tournaments, the Mater Dei Invitational from Dec. 19 to 22 and the Excalibur Tournament from Dec. 27 to 29.
Story and photos by Ted Apodaca