For the first round of CIF, the Arcadia High School (AHS) Girls Varsity Soccer team faced up against Bishop Montgomery High School (BMHS) on Feb. 8 for a thrilling and nail-biting match-up, going 1-1 and AHS winning in penalty kicks.

As the game began, both teams proved to be equally skilled, constantly kept at bay by each other’s defense. Within the first 10 minutes of the game, Bishop Montgomery star player, #13, broke the Arcadia defensive line by herself and scored a goal.

As the half continued, the Arcadia offense kept the ball on the BMHS side of the field, yet as opportunities to score continued to arise, they were unable to finish them. Stuck in the frustration of not scoring, the Girls Varsity Soccer team took half-time to regroup, strategize, and prepare to win the game.

Following a tense first half, Coach Paul Miles grouped the team for an emotional, motivational speech, rousing them to get ready to storm into the second half with a fervor. After Miles concluded his speech, two of the four team captains, senior Destiny Delgado and junior Skye Escobedo discussed strategy and reinvigorated their team with encouragement. This motivation propelled the Girls Varsity Soccer team into the second half, and they continued the game with a vigorous and competitive edge to their play.

The second half began, and Arcadia’s offensive began their aggressive and skillful penetration of the Bishop Montgomery defense. AHS moved up their defensive line, consisting of junior Paige Monson, freshman Bella Kellerman, Delgado, and sophomore Malia Leba, and kept the ball on the other side of the field for a majority of the half. In the midst of their struggle to score, the referee continued to make many controversial calls on Arcadia’s defense just outside of the 18’s. These calls were dangerous, as they gave BMHS free kicks in the ideal spot to score, and this happened twice within a span of 40 minutes.

After making numerous attempts to score, #12 sophomore Alaina Lee shot a precise corner kick to #22 freshman Maddie Massie, who shot the ball into the goal in the last 6 minutes of the second half to tie up the game. Caught in a tie, the team went into overtime in order to decide the match winner. Both teams were in search of their golden goal, a term used to describe their situation: as whoever scored first would win.

As the first overtime concluded, the second began, and still there were no goals from either side. Despite multiple good opportunities and a couple shots from the Arcadia offense, the team remained unlucky and couldn’t get any of them in.

Both teams were unable to score, and the match went into penalty kicks. During penalty kicks, both teams choose five of their most skilled players, and the teams switch off every other one, continuing to shoot penalties until one gets four goals to win. 

The first penalty kick of the game went to Delgado, and the talented senior scored a goal in the corner of the box with ease. Following Delgado, #13 on Bishop Montgomery, their most talented player, missed her penalty shot too wide.

Next up was Kaya Chung, another practiced senior, and though her shot was well-placed and forceful, the fast BMHS goalkeeper managed to block the shot. Following this shot, #10 from Bishop Montgomery, the second best player on the team, barely missed her shot, hitting the post on the side. 

The third penalty went to Skye Escobedo, a junior and valuable asset to the team, who scored a stellar goal by shooting to the corner with speed and accuracy. Following Escobedo’s goal, Bishop Montgomery scored another goal as well, keeping up with Arcadia’s pace.

The fourth penalty went to Kellerman, and though it is her first year on the team, the newcomer scored an excellent penalty with ease. Following close behind, BMHS took another penalty goal.

For the final fifth penalty, stakes were high, and the goal decided the fate of the game. Freshman Zayne Bannoura was entrusted with the kick, and with a beautiful shot to the top corner, AHS won the game, advancing to Round 2. 

Good luck to our Girls Varsity Soccer team in their future in CIF, and go support them in their Round 2 game this Friday at Don Lugo High School in Chino Hills!

Photo courtesy of ARCADIA DCI INTERN Lauryn Chao