Eagles’ season ends

COSTA MESA — Silence seem to fill the air as the ball left the foot of Jillian Beck early in a CIF Southern Section Division III second-round girls’ soccer game Wednesday.

As the ball floated high so did the hopes of Estancia High in its quest of upsetting top-seeded Santiago of Corona. Beck’s ball looked liked it was going in, but dropped inches above the goal, hitting the bar and bouncing behind the net. It was one of a few chances that left the Eagles thinking what-if. But Santiago (22-2-2) made the most of its opportunities in scoring a 3-0 win at Jim Scott Stadium.

Senior goalie Allyson Wallace stood out on defense, keeping Estancia within striking distance through the first half. She finished with 12 saves.

“She was busy,” Estancia Coach Jessica Gatica said. “I know that when she is between the posts, she’s going to sacrifice everything for that ball. She kept us in the game for a long time. She kept us alive. She makes saves other goalies don’t make because she is willing to sacrifice her body more than others.”

Santiago continually won possession and displayed good ball movement during the majority of the game.

In the 25th minute, shortly after Beck’s shot on goal, Santiago’s Clarissa Robles drew a debatable foul, that had Estancia fans groaning because it set up a penalty kick. Robles booted it in for a 1-0 lead.

Estancia (11-8-4) couldn’t recover. The Eagles also couldn’t rekindle the fire they showed early in the game. They came out strong and kept the Sharks off balance.

But Santiago withstood Estancia’s attack. And, broke through the Eagles’ defense.

“That’s hard to come back from especially against a real talented team,” Gatica said of falling behind, 1-0. “They are worth a goal for sure. But we did great. We battled hard. We didn’t let up. At no point did I feel my girls ever gave up.”

In the 52nd minute, senior Nushin Tasbihchi nearly scored. Her free kick from 45 yards out almost went in, but goalie Chandler Morris saved it.

One minute later, Robles found Tatiana Valentin with a cross for the 2-0 advantage.

Gatica did not agree with the call that led to the Sharks’ first goal, calling it, “horrible.” She believed the second half would’ve been a different story had Beck’s goal went in and the penalty never happened.

The Sharks, champions of the Big VIII League, finalized the scoring in injury time, when Allison King scored an unassisted goal.

“When they scored that first goal, I think we felt robbed,” Gatica said. “It was like, ‘Did that just happen.’ But we fought hard to end the half. It gets a little rough when the other team is bigger, faster, stronger. But I give them a lot of credit for not giving up.

“They could’ve tucked their tail between their legs and it could’ve been 6-0, if we let it be, but we worked hard.”