Bishop Diego's Natalie Durtche
Carpinteria's Kelsey Drain
Bishop Diego's Elisa Bernardi watches one of her shots go off-target on Tuesday.
Bishop Diego freshman Annalise Morando came through with the winning goal on Tuesday, lifting the Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over visiting Carpinteria in overtime of the Tri-Valley League opener for both teams.
“I think it is really important to start off league on a positive note,” Morando said after the game, her first against the rival Warriors.
Morando scored in the second minute of the first five-minute OT period. Jordan Price took a throw-in and led Morando towards the goal on the throw and Morando placed a strong shot into the upper-right corner of the goal.
“I went to shoot it and I missed,” Morando said of the play. “(Then) the other girl missed it so I shot it and it went in.”
Morando added two assists earlier in the game on goals by Elisa Bernardi. The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead as Bernardi was able to score twice in the first 20 minutes.
But Carpinteria’s Shelby Dunlap capitalized on a dangerous free-kick taken by Kelsey Drain to volley in a Warrior goal at the 29th-minute mark.
“I think because we gave up that goal it gave them absolute hope because they perked up,” said Cardinals head coach Brent Gonsalves, who has his team at 6-3-2 on the season. “To start the league off right, to win the game is good. I think that’s important that we started on a good foot.”
It wasn’t entirely a rosey picture for Gonsalves, however.
“I was not too happy with the way we played today. We could have marched on but we made it more difficult on ourselves.”
Carpinteria’s 2-2 equalizer came late in the second half from Cristina Valdez. Cardinals keeper Kim Ruiz came out to collect a loose ball but collided with another player and fell to the ground. Valdez was in the right place at the right time and knocked it in from 18 yards out and through traffic.
Valdez is the Warriors’ stopper but likes to frequently move up into the offensive attack.
“She worked hard the entire game,” said Carpinteria head coach Lucy Carleton. “I didn’t tell her to stop making those offensive forays because she’s always getting back and she was there when we needed her.”
Ruiz was under pressure again in the final minute of regulation and made a one-handed save to keep it a 2-2 game.
The Warriors didn’t get the same quality chances in the overtime.
Carpinteria and Bishop both play league games again on Thursday. The Warriors host Villanova while the Cardinals travel to Fillmore.
