It seemed somehow fitting that Saturday
’s Central Coast Section Division I girls soccer playoff
match-up between rivals Live Oak and Santa Teresa would go as long
as it could possibly go. But the way it ended was anything but
fitting. After an epic struggle in miserable conditions, the
defending CCS D-I co-champion Acorns ended up losi
ng to the higher-seeded Saints on a single penalty kick after
the two teams had battled to a 3-3 tie through four overtime
periods.
It seemed somehow fitting that Saturday’s Central Coast Section Division I girls soccer playoff match-up between rivals Live Oak and Santa Teresa would go as long as it could possibly go.
But the way it ended was anything but fitting.
After an epic struggle in miserable conditions, the defending CCS D-I co-champion Acorns ended up losing to the higher-seeded Saints on a single penalty kick after the two teams had battled to a 3-3 tie through four overtime periods.
Even the penalty kick phase of the match went into overtime as the squads were still tied through five PKs.
On the sixth, LO’s Jamie Hickey had her try blocked by the ST goalkeeper, while LO goalie Andrea Riolo couldn’t stop the Saints try.
“This is probably the hardest loss I’ve ever had as Live Oak coach,” Coach Tony Vasquez said. “I really thought we were the better team and it hurts to lose on PKs like that.”
It was the third time in the past four seasons that the Saints had eliminated LO from the CCS playoffs.
A match that began under forboding skies and intermittent drizzle ended in a full downpour on a muddy, slippery PAL Sports Complex field that had Vasquez wondering why that venue was chosen when so many artificial turf fields were available. The rain was so intense that the two boys soccer playoff matches scheduled to follow were postponed.
“Both teams had to play on it, but when the field is slop, soccer goes out the window,” Vasquez said. “You can prepare for everything but not the bad conditions. With our speed, I just didn’t think they could keep up with us. But we couldn’t get anything started on that field. I just wish we could have played on astroturf and I don’t know why we couldn’t.”
No. 10 LO (10-7-5) stayed with the second-seeded Saints the entire match.
After ST scored in the ninth minute for a 1-0 lead, LO senior Lena Marsh answered with a PK goal of her own, after she was taken down in the goalie box, to tie the score.
The Saints took a 2-1 lead just two minutes later but Acorn senior Michelle McDonald broke through for the equalizer just before halftime.
The two teams battled through a scoreless second half and into overtime.
ST scored just a few minutes into the first OT period but LO answered on a header by goalie Riolo off a McDonald corner to tie.
The two teams then went scoreless through another regular OT period, and two five-minute sudden death OT periods before the match went to PKs.
In the PK phase, Riolo appeared to get her gloves on several ST tries, while the Saint goalie touched nary a one until the final Acorn try.
After the match, many LO players’ tears flowed as freely as the rain.
“We overcame so much,” Vasquez said. “I was definitely proud of this team.”
