Win slips away from Sea Kings

Bryce Alderton

The Corona del Mar High girls soccer team had a CIF Southern Section

Division II first-round playoff victory in its grasp Saturday, but a

steady rainstorm, coupled with a few missed assignments, was all that

was needed for it to slip away.

The Sea Kings trudged through 80 minutes of regulation and 20

minutes of overtime, but host El Dorado showed its strength at the

end, scoring the final two goals to seal a 2-1 victory.

Freshman Allison Dillon scored both goals for El Dorado (15-6-1),

the Century League champion, the final one coming in the third minute

of the second 10-minute overtime session. Senior Brittney Elder

crossed to Dillon on the near side and the freshman knocked in the

game-winner. Elder also assisted on Dillon’s first goal to tie the

score at 1 in the 62nd minute.

“Both goals were earned,” CdM Coach Bryan Middleton said. “They

made it through to the back end line, crossed and finished. There

were a few missed assignments and we didn’t get back on those.”

The Sea Kings (9-9-2), the Pacific Coast League champions,

controlled most of the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into

intermission. Sophomore Taylor Fallon headed in a corner kick from

Jessica Mazura in the 14th minute.

CdM, a Division II quarterfinalist last year, had two chances to

score in the second overtime session, but couldn’t convert. El Dorado

goalkeeper Kirsten Radlinski stopped Fallon’s 15-yard curling shot

while a Courtney Carnahan throw in skidded across the six-yard box,

but no one could get a foot on it.

The rain began to fall more heavily and solid footwork became even

more difficult to come by in the second half, when El Dorado changed

its strategy.

“We pushed two more people up to forward to create more offense

[in the second half],” El Dorado Coach Marc Smith said. “We were

nervous [at the beginning], but showed heart in coming back.”

CdM junior Tanisha Senaratne and senior Kinzie Kramer knocked away

several balls from El Dorado attackers, whom they often bumped into

in attempts to gain possession.

Senior forward Brook Burgner, who took one shot and drew one of

CdM’s two corners, said the rain added yet another factor in a game

of this magnitude.

“It is mud soccer,” Burgner said. “We came out here with passion

and heart. It got to the point where bodies were hitting [each other]

and, with the ball skidding all over, it could make or break a goal.

“It breaks my heart that we lost and the season is over. We were a

young team [with only five seniors] that did well and stuck with it.

We grew together and had chemistry at the end and that is what I am

going to miss.”