Esperanza Crosses Up Fountain Valley, Wins in Overtime
It figured. After more than 100 minutes of brutally physical play featuring mid-air collisions, forearm shivers and diving tackles, Tuesday’s Division I playoff semifinal between Esperanza and Fountain Valley was decided by a thing of beauty--a long, high cross finding a teammate who took a perfect angle toward the ball and headed it in the back of the net.
Esperanza junior Matt McNally hit the cross and senior Mike O’Donnel had the header, seven minutes into sudden death overtime--giving the Aztecs a 3-2 victory over their Sunset League rival before more than 500 fans at Fountain Valley High.
“It was a perfect cross,” said O’Donnel, whose goal was his lucky 13th of the year. “It couldn’t have been hit any better. I saw the ball in the air, backed up and just put my head on it.”
Fountain Valley goalkeeper Kyle Polak, who kept the Barons in the game with several spectacular saves, couldn’t get a hand on O’Donnel’s shot. Unseeded Esperanza (20-6-3), which finished third in league, advanced to its fifth Division I final in the last 11 years. The Aztecs will play Temecula Valley in the final Saturday.
“When we were 0-3 in league, nobody ever thought of making the playoffs, and now we’re in the finals,” said Esperanza Coach Kino Oaxaca. “They have a great team and we know that. We knew it was going to be a war and it was.”
Second-seeded Fountain Valley (19-3-3) played without its leading scorer, Cliff McKinley for most of the second half and all 27 minutes of overtime. McKinley, who scored Fountain Valley’s first goal, his 29th, in the 37th minute, jammed his right big toe early in the second half on a sliding ball tackle.
“He wanted to back in,” Fountain Valley Coach Jason Smith said. “It’s frustrating for a player like that to sit and watch. He’s got so much speed, our offense missed him.”
Fountain Valley wouldn’t have needed him had it been able to hold a 2-1 second-half lead. But 30 seconds after Sean Iliff headed in a cross from Drew Tolman, Esperanza’s Tony Ferrari answered, tying it 2-2 in the 62nd minute.
The Barons had another opportunity to finish off Esperanza in the third minute of the second overtime, but John Clark’s header was cleared off the goal line by Shawn Dohrman and then Steve Hively.
Fourteen minutes later, O’Donnel finished what Fountain Valley couldn’t.
“We left it on the field and we played well enough to win,” Smith said. “But if you don’t put it in the net, you’re not going to win.”
In Division III:
Santa Margarita 5, Calabasas 0--Following a scoreless first half, Spencer George, with an assist by Kyle Carroll, opened up the second half with a goal in the 50th minute. Ryan Curtis scored the Eagles’ second goal five minutes later.
George scored again and teammates Blake Hales and Luke Boughen each scored a goal for Santa Margarita (23-1-3). Erick Foss had five saves for the shutout.
Santa Margarita will play Bonita on Saturday.
In Division IV:
Estancia 4, St. Francis 1--Third-seeded St. Francis kept the Eagles’ playmakers Esaul Mendoza and Cesar Terrones in check for the first 60 minutes of the game. The final 20 minutes was a different story.
With the score tied, 1-1, Mendoza scored his 43rd goal of the season off a short lob pass from Armando Ortiz, giving the second-seeded Eagles (19-1-1) the lead for good.
In Division V:
St. Margaret’s 1, Lebec Frazier Mountain 0--Mia Gallegos scored from 15 yards out off an assist from Erik Hallenbeck in the 35th minute to win it for host St. Margaret’s (17-6), which handed Frazier Mountain its first setback of the season.
St. Margaret’s will meet Pasadena Poly in the division final Saturday.
