Early loss not a factor in title run

An opening loss at the AYSO Area K tournament didn’t derail the championship hopes of the Huntington Beach Region 56 U-10 girls’ Silver All-Star team.

The team, coached by Jon Crowley and A.J. DiLiberto, rebounded from that loss to go through its next five regional All-Star teams and went on to win its division title Sunday at Lamb Field in Huntington Beach.

The locals reserved a spot in Sunday’s title game by handing previously-undefeated Long Beach a 2-1 loss earlier that day. Huntington struck first when Jessica Ruggiero sent a header into the goal on a play set up by a sideline throw-in from Deanna Ochi. Long Beach scored the tying goal in the second quarter, but Huntington took the lead for good when Maddison Crowley scored on a penalty kick off a touch-back pass from Lauren Castleblanco.

Goalie Gianna DiLiberto came up with several saves on dives, blocks and kicking out shots from her goal.

Huntington’s win earned them a second shot at Long Beach in the division final.

Again, Huntington got the best of Long Beach. The defense of Ochi and Kendall Fearnley and midfield play of Crowley, Castleblanco and Kyra Casey, helped Huntington post a shutout. Offensively, Huntington scored in the opening minutes of the game when Crowley sent a perfect text book pass to Ruggiero whose kick soared high into the Long Beach goal. Brielle DiLiberto, a Huntington striker, made several breaks for the goal but she was held off in the second quarter by a tough Long Beach defense.

Huntington finally gained breathing room late in the third quarter when Megan Choi followed in a shot that bounced off the Long Beach keeper to make it a 2-0 game.