The San Marcos girls soccer team followed the same game plan they have all season and executed it to perfection.
The Royals (11-3-4), who have allowed more than two goals only once all season, shut out Pasadena’s La Salle (14-8-2) 2-0 on Thursday night in a rainy CIF Division-3 playoff opener.
San Marcos controlled the ball for much of the first half, holding La Salle’s star sophomore, Croix Soto, in check. Soto was moved from forward to defender midway through the first half and the Lancers offense went mostly quiet.
In the 21st minute, the Royals broke the scoring open as Chloe Hamer took an inbounds pass from Danielle Anderson and lofted it over La Salle’s goalkeeper into the left corner of the net.
“We were all super hyped before the game and we knew we would win because of how excited and confident we were,” explained Hamer. “Everyone was really nervous but the fact that we worked so hard together all season and got the result in our first CIF game is amazing.”
San Marcos’ Raynee Odell nearly put the Royals up 2-0 with a free kick from 20 yards out, but the Lancers’ keeper deflected the ball over the goal, sending the teams into halftime with a score of 1-0.
In the 51st minute, Sierra Palladino rocketed a free kick from over 40 yards out that Anderson somehow found and placed in the net to give the Royals some insurance and a 2-0 lead that held the rest of the way.
“Sierra’s got a beautiful touch,” praised San Marcos head coach Edwin Portillo. “Her soccer IQ is up there. It’s very nice to have somebody who’s left-footed that has soccer IQ.”
La Salle’s best scoring opportunity came three minutes later, as Soto took a free kick that was deflected and cleared. The aggressive play of San Marcos’ backs limited the Lancers offense for most of the game.
“Our back line is just relentless,” said Portillo. “They’ll come at you and they won’t let you breathe.”
San Marcos hosts Flintridge Prep on Tuesday in a second-round rematch of a playoff game last year that the Royals won 3-2.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.