Daily Pilot Girls’ Soccer Dream Team: Harris led Oilers to history

It was almost like an old-school Nintendo video game cheat code, the way Rachel Harris saw the penalty shots coming during a penalty-kick shootout against Chino Hills in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

“You never see that,” Harris said.

But Harris, the Huntington Beach High senior goalie, did see all of those shots. And she blocked all of them.

She liked to say, ‘I don’t have to save it, they have to make it,’ but it was undoubtedly her stepping up in a big moment. The Oilers earned a 4-1 win in the shootout and advanced to the CIF semifinals for the first time in program history.

As far as stepping up, Harris did a lot of that during a historic season for Huntington Beach, which also included the program advancing to the CIF Southern California Regional Division I title game. The Oilers did not earn a “three-peat” in the Sunset League, placing third, but Harris was named the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Her ability in the shootout, when it’s just the shooter against the goalie, became well-known. The Oilers went 4-0 this season in games that went to penalty kicks, and 8-2 in Harris’ time as varsity starter.

That’s called being clutch on the pitch. For her efforts, Harris is the Daily Pilot Dream Team Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.

“We’ve definitely accomplished a lot,” said Harris, who will play next year at the University of Arkansas. “That was probably the best thing about this team, that if you made a mistake, they were quick to say, ‘We’ve got your back.’ There were games that I made a mistake, and we came down and we scored. I’ve got your back, and you’ve got my back. That part was definitely nice … and it was always somebody new.”

The constant in the back for Huntington Beach (20-9-4) was Harris, a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division 1 selection. She underwent quite a balancing act, as she also played on the Oilers girls’ basketball team that advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship game and the CIF State Southern California Regionals quarterfinal.

In soccer, Harris was one of just two senior starters along with center back Katie Martinez, and three total seniors on the squad. It wasn’t really supposed to be that way, but she said several other seniors quit the team along the way. She had her doubts coming into the season, even after helping the team win its first two Sunset League titles in program history in her sophomore and junior years.

“It’s hard to put into words,” she said. “I would have never expected it to be this team. After last season, I was like, ‘We are not going to be good this year, it’s going to be terrible.’ I wasn’t really looking forward to it at all. I didn’t even know if I wanted to play … We didn’t know how we would come together as a team. We have a ton of freshmen, and they surprised us, their talent.”

Harris, one of four team captains along with Martinez, junior defender Brianna Barnes and junior Alijah Oliver, was a constant. She also helped the Oilers earn a shootout win at San Clemente in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs.

When Huntington Beach made the SoCal Regionals for the first time, Harris produced back-to-back shutout wins, at top-seeded Torrey Pines in the first round (3-0) and at Fresno Bullard in the regional semifinals (6-0).

“Like they always say, leaders lead by example,” Huntington Beach Coach Raul Ruiz said. “[We needed] her mental and physical strength. For us, for our back line, we were young. We only had one senior, and it was so important to see that. When we thought we were down physically, mentally she was always there for us. She’s so mentally tough.

“She would take beatings on one-on-ones, physical contact with forwards. There’s a lot of things that happen inside the box, but she would always be the one who would stand up at the end. If you’re a ninth-grader or 10^th-grader and you see that from your goalkeeper, that says a lot. You have to respect that from her. She’s so competitive.”

The Oilers lost to JSerra, 2-1, in the regional final. It was the same team that knocked Huntington Beach off in the Division 1 semifinals, and by the same score.

But Harris said she had no regrets.

“You learn so much from sports, just life lessons in general,” she said. “After we lost [the last game], I was like, ‘OK, it’s actually over, there’s nothing else.’ There was a lot to be proud of. We went down making history.

“It was definitely such a great experience. I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better senior year in both [sports]. It was a long five months, but it was definitely worth it. I would do it all over if I could. Now I’m retired from basketball.”

But not from high-pressure situations. Harris might be just 5 feet 7, but she will play goalie at the next level at Arkansas. She said she wants to go in and be a starter.

“I control my own destiny when it comes to that,” she said.

If she has to block a penalty kick, that’s bad news for the opposition.

“I love PKs,” she said. “Everybody asks me, ‘Do you guess? How do you know?’ I’m just like, ‘I don’t.’ I just happen to be in the right spot at the right time … I just get a feeling. You have a 50% chance.

“You don’t want to have a big head about it. I’m not like that. Yeah, we won in PKs, but my team also put it in the back of the net. I do my job, they do their job.”

That mentality helped the Oilers achieve big things in 2017.

Here’s a look at the Dream Team Coach of the Year and the First and Second Team Dream Team selections:

COACH OF THE YEAR

Kerry Crooks

Edison

In her 26^th year as varsity head coach, Crooks had rarely if ever seen a Sunset League so stacked. But “Mac” guided the Chargers to a 6-0 start to league and the eventual league title in dramatic fashion, with a golden goal against Los Alamitos in the league finale on Feb. 7 to clinch it. Earlier that same day, Crooks had been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, but she was on the sidelines for the Chargers’ dramatic win just hours later. She had a special bond with the Chargers and their large, 12-player senior class.

FIRST TEAM

Zoe Clevely

Edison, Sr., GK

A four-year varsity starter in goal, Clevely was the backbone of the Chargers defense. She earned Sunset League MVP honors after helping Edison win the league title. Clevely, a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection, came up especially big in allowing just one total goal to Los Alamitos in two league games, as the Chargers won both against the rival Griffins in overtime. She’s bound for Pepperdine University.

Desiree Mendoza

Estancia, Fr., FW

Mendoza was a consistent producer as a freshman, totaling a team-best 17 goals, which ranked her eighth best in Orange County. She also led Estancia with 12 assists and was fun to watch with her creative play and relentless nature. Mendoza was a first-team All-Orange Coast League selection.

Katie Martinez

Huntington Beach, Sr., DEF

One of two center backs for the Oilers, Martinez was one of just two senior starters along with Harris. Her aggressive play, size and ball-winning ability benefited Huntington Beach all season long. She was another big piece in a historic season. Martinez, a team captain, was a first-team All-Sunset League selection and a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection. She will play at New Mexico State next year.

Kaci Montoya

Ocean View, Sr., FW

Montoya really took a leadership role as a senior on and off the field, Ocean View Coach Jose Sanchez said. It benefited the Seahawks, who went 8-2 in the Golden West League to earn a share of their third straight Golden West League title, along with Westminster. Montoya, a team captain bound for Santiago Canyon College, led Ocean View with 14 goals and 11 assists and was a first-team all-league selection.

Sianna Siemonsma

Newport Harbor, Sr., FW

Siemonsma went through a lot during her four-year varsity career with the Sailors, but she stayed healthy as a senior on the best Newport Harbor team in that span. Siemonsma, who will play next year at the University of Washington, tallied 24 goals to rank fourth in Orange County and helped the Sailors finish a very respectable third place in the tough Sunset League. She was a first-team all-league selection.

Mikayla Edwards

Edison, Sr., MF

Edwards was known for her very effective corner kicks, and they produced time and again for the Chargers. Both game-winning goals in league against Los Alamitos came off an Edwards corner, part of her team-best seven assists. The feisty midfielder also had four goals, tied for second on the team. She was a first-team All-Sunset League pick and is bound for Kansas State.

Emily Johnson

Newport Harbor, Soph., MF/DEF

The Sailors played Johnson mostly at center back out of necessity, but that was the kind of flexibility that first-year Coach Justin Schroeder was given due to her versatility. She was second on the team with 10 goals and had a team-best 12 assists. Johnson, who just committed to UC Santa Barbara this week, was a first-team All-Sunset League and first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 performer.

Blake Turner

Laguna Beach, Soph., FW

Blake and her freshman sister Reilyn, both forwards, seemed to do everything for the Breakers and were extremely tough for opponents to slow down. Blake Turner earned Orange Coast League MVP honors after helping Laguna Beach finish a perfect 10-0 in league and earn its first league title since 2014. The Breakers also earned the No. 2 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs and advanced to the D4 quarterfinals.

Trinity Rodman

Corona del Mar, Fr., FW

While her older brother DJ was making waves for the CdM boys’ basketball team, Trinity was doing the same on the pitch. She was a vital piece for a team that went 22-1-3 and was top-ranked in CIF Southern Section Division 2 nearly all season. A member of the U.S. Under-14 national team, Rodman tied for the team lead with 14 goals, including the game-winner against Northwood that helped CdM win the Pacific Coast League title. She was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and first-team All-CIF Division 2 selection.

Jenna Nighswonger

Huntington Beach, Soph., MF

Nighswonger missed a handful of games for the Oilers, and for good reason as she was playing with the U.S. Under-18 national team. She has that kind of skill, yet she still managed to tie for the Huntington Beach team lead with 15 goals, as well as record nine assists. A very intelligent player, Nighswonger earned first-team All-Sunset League honors and could be one of several very talented underclassmen returning next year.

Cassidy Helenihi

Edison, Sr., FW

The Chargers started out Sunset League play hot and so did Helenihi, with three goals in her team’s first two league games. Helenihi, who led Edison with nine goals on the season, ended up sharing the Sunset League Most Outstanding Offensive Player award with Vanessa Millsaps of Los Alamitos. Helenihi, a four-year varsity player for the Chargers, will continue her career at the University of San Francisco.

SECOND TEAM

Alyssa McKenzie

Corona del Mar, Soph., DEF

Reilyn Taylor

Laguna Beach, Fr., FW

Daisy Moran

Ocean View, Sr., DEF

Brianna Barnes

Huntington Beach, Jr., DEF

Maya Roston

Sage Hill, Sr., MF

Taylor Wasserman

Edison, Sr., DEF

Natalie Swanson

Marina, Sr., FW

Isabelle Cruz

Estancia, Jr., MF

Megan Chelf

Corona del Mar, Fr., MF

Ariana Figueroa

Los Amigos, Sr., FW

Ally Bebout

Fountain Valley, Jr., DEF

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo