The Laguna Blanca girls soccer team held a 3-1 in the second half, but two goals from Bishop Diego’s Jill Giannini, including a last-minute penalty kick, tied the match up at 3 for the final score in a non-conference rematch on Friday night.
The Cardinals beat the Owls 4-0 earlier in the season.
Bishop Diego opened the game’s scoring when Anna Coronado rocketed a shot from deep that ricocheted into the goal.
Later in the half, Laguna keeper Natalie McCaffery was injured making a remarkable save, forcing Jules Bernard to take over at goalie with little experience. Bernard performed admirably in relief of McCaffery, nearly sealing the victory for Laguna.
Kelly Bickett scored for Laguna on a corner kick, leaving the score at 1-1 entering halftime.
In the second half, the Owls hit their stride, scoring when Alex Koke punched a ricochet into the goal and when Tiffany Yabsley squeezed a ball through multiple defenders, giving Laguna a 3-1 lead.
Giannani scored in the 80th minute for the Cardinals, and then scored the equalizer on a penalty kick after the referee called handball on Laguna Blanca.
“When looked at in light of our previous drubbing by Bishop,” said Laguna coach Kevin Shertzer, “this tie was a tremendous leap forward for our squad. We defended with discipline and were creative in offense.”
Bishop Diego travels to Carpinteria next Tuesday, and Laguna Blanca begins league play on January 14 against Midland.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.