CdM girls’ soccer sunk by late goal at Temecula Valley

The Corona del Mar High girls’ soccer team took the lead just 13 minutes into its second-round game in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs at Temecula Valley.

Everything was going right for the Sea Kings. They had the lead. They had ample opportunities playing the ball forward into the space.

But as the game went on, Temecula Valley showed the strengths that led it to the Southwestern League championship this year.

The Golden Bears were a constant threat on set pieces, and Temecula Valley struck on one in the 78th minute to defeat CdM 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Temecula Valley (19-6-2) advances to the quarterfinals. The Golden Bears will host No. 4-seeded El Dorado (21-5-2) on Friday.

Mackenzie Vehlow headed in the game-winner off a long throw-in from Emilee Garrett.

“The first half, we didn’t come out as strong as we would have liked,” Vehlow said. “We just needed to go to goal and get as many opportunities as we can. We knew that they were coming.”

Temecula Valley flipped field position in the second half after CdM (13-5-5) dominated the opening 25 minutes.

Ava McKenzie and Megan Chelf had formed a dynamic duo up top for the Sea Kings. In the 13th minute, McKenzie challenged a hard-charging Kailee Madewell (six saves). The Golden Bears’ junior goalkeeper did not get all of her clearing attempt, and the ball wound up with Chelf.

Before Madewell could retreat to her goal, Chelf lofted a 35-yard shot over the defender covering and into the net. The Sea Kings sophomore sprung into her usual backflip celebration.

Just before halftime, Temecula Valley got even. The Golden Bears had a flurry of corner kicks, and on the fifth offering from Emma Thrapp, they broke through. Keeper Shannon Duss (five saves) mishandled the ball as it came in. It went upward and off the crossbar, coming into her hands, before it slipped out of her grip and across the goal line.

Neither side had a clear interpretation of what had happened. The Golden Bears were calling it an own goal, while Duss seemed to believe the ball had been kicked out of her hands.

“I thought that their first goal was questionable,” Sea Kings coach Bryan Middleton said.

One way or another, Temecula Valley had scored twice on set pieces during the match.

“Most of our goals during league, almost half of them were on throw-ins or corners,” Garrett said. “We score on it at least once a game.”

CdM’s Katharine Caston, whom Middleton referred to as the team’s best defender of the evening, received her second yellow card in the 69th minute.

“With her getting the red card and coming out, I had to bring [Chelf] back into the defense to help solidify it again,” Middleton said. “Difficult to overcome that, even though we did last a good 20 minutes with that onslaught.

“We were looking to just prolong the game and get it to PKs at that point.”

CdM earned a 25-yard free kick in stoppage time, but McKenzie’s strike sailed high of the mark.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner