LOS ANGELES – It’s been true about Michael Jordan, Diego Maradona and Barry Bonds at their peaks: You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them.
Alverno’s girls soccer team has been that good lately.
The Jaguars defeated Cate 3-1 in a CIF Division-VII quarterfinal game at Rio de los Angeles Park on Friday, winning their eighth straight game while outscoring their opponents 72-3.
Cate's Annie Weis gets rid of the ball just before Alverno defender Gaby Vasquez arrives.
The Rams succeeded in containing the No. 3 seed and defending CIF champion, holding the Jaguars to under five goals for the first time since a 2-0 loss to Mayfield on January 26.
“I thought it was a really good game today that really pushed us. Cate really went for it and I think that we responded well,” said Alverno assistant coach Steve Lesse.
Celina Minissian put Alverno up 1-0 in the tenth minute, dribbling through Cate’s defense and connecting on a shot from 20-yards out that found the upper-corner of the net. Cassie Saavadra and Jessica Capra then changed the complexion of the game with two goals in the half’s final eight minutes.
“It was nothing like we’ve seen before but after the first half I think we all got really motivated,” said Cate goal keeper Grace Gail. “So we just went out there, went all out, gave it our all.”
The Rams turned it around in the second half, shutting out the Jaguars for the final 40 minutes.
“The second half we really wanted it I think. We were really ready to fight and prove to them and to ourselves that we deserve to be here,” said Cate sophomore Annie Weis, who scored Cate’s second-half goal. “We didn’t end up winning but I’m really, really happy with the way we played in the second half.”
Weis gave the Rams life when her perfectly placed corner kick found Alverno’s side-net just a few minutes after halftime.
“I wasn’t trying, It kind of just happened. It was lucky” admitted Weis, who was Cate’s leading goal-scorer this season with 20. “It was good to get a goal and not have it be a shutout.”
Cate controlled much of the second half but Alverno remained dangerous, forcing Gail to make six saves in the half.
“I think we could have made it even closer but I was happy to score and proud of how hard they played,” said Rams head coach Lisa Holmes.
“They kind of got a feel for how we play and I think that helped them a lot,” thought Alverno defensive midfielder Maha Abdallah.
The Jaguars ( 16-5-1), who have scored 141 goals this season, play either two-seed Sierra Vista or St. Paul in the semifinal. Sierra Vista defeated Alverno 4-1 in the second game of the season.
“We take it as it’s going to be the hardest game of our lives,” Abdullah said.
Cate, co-Condor League champs with Laguna Blanca, won two playoff games before Friday and finishes its season with a 12-4 record.
“We loved keeping the season going for as long as we could,” Gail said. “So we’re really sad to let it go but it was an amazing time. We loved it.”
