Bishop Diego lost 3-1 at Santa Clara on Tuesday, but something positive happened to the Cardinals at the end of the day.
They qualified for the CIF playoffs. Carpinteria’s 3-0 loss to Grace Brethren on Tuesday secured third place in the Frontier League and the final playoff spot for Bishop’s girls soccer team.
“Carp needed to win out to tie us,” Bishop coach Brent Gonsalves said. “With them losing, it automatically locks us into third place.”
It’s the first CIF berth in several years for the Cardinals.
“We did what we needed to do up to this point to qualify,” said Gonsalves.
Natalie Durtche tied the score for the Cardinals in the 26th minute on a penalty kick.
Santa Clara tallied the game-winner just before halftime on a wind-blown corner kick.
“The ball got caught in the wind and looped into the goal,” Gonsalves said.
Bishop (10-7-2, 5-4) closes the regular season on Thursday at league-leading Grace Brethren.
