La Mirada claims regional title in rematch with Sage Hill

Sage Hill largely dominated its CIF Southern Section title-game showdown a week ago with La Mirada, couldn’t find the net, then prevailed on penalty kicks for its first section championship in the sport.

The rematch wasn’t so dissimilar, with a couple of exceptions: Gisselle Barron’s ankle and Brianna Briggs’ box sense.

La Mirada on Saturday claimed its second CIF Southern California Regional girls’ soccer title in a decade, riding Briggs’ clinical finish nine minutes into the second half and some expert defensive work to follow for a 1-0 Division IV triumph.

It was a most anticlimactic end to a historic season for a freshman-heavy Lightning team that marched to the Southern Section Division 4 championship, conceding just twice in five games, then survived a penalty-kick shootout and an overtime to reach the closest thing California has to a state championship.

Sage Hill (12-4-3) permitted its guests just one good look at goal, and that’s all it took.

“It’s bittersweet,” Lightning coach Issac Sierra said of the outcome. “But that’s why we love this game so much. ... This team is resilient. They fought. They wanted every part of this game, and from the jump, they came out fighting. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t bounce our way, and [La Mirada] deserved the win.”

Sage Hill again was the better side most of the way, the more dangerous side, and built considerable advantages in shots (14-6), shots on target (7-3) and dangerous situations (10-4). An inability to play through lines and create inside the attacking third — against a resolute defense for La Mirada (14-8-6) that posted its fourth successive shutout and sixth in eight postseason outings — was costly.

Barron’s absence, after she was injured in Tuesday’s regional opener against San Diego, was transformative. The freshman forward, who plays at the highest level of the youth game (ECNL) with San Diego Surf, is the Lightning’s pivotal figure: a big forward with exquisite touch and an effortless ability to hold the ball in pressure, the latter a skill seen only at the elite peaks of the high school game. She’s got uncommon vision and savvy, sees the field in ways others can’t, and the Lightning’s possession game chiefly flows through her.

“Gisselle is an impact player,” Sierra said. “We knew it was going to be difficult without her, because of how much she can contribute offensively and how she breaks teams down.”

The Lightning “definitely needed her,” said junior goalkeeper Finley Maynard, who shepherded three postseason penalty-kick wins. “She’s a really big asset in the middle. She can move the ball really, really well. [How she holds the ball] is really impressive. ... It’s not ideal that we didn’t have her.”

Sage Hill instead was, until a frenzied finish that failed to reach fruition, all about set-piece service into the goalmouth. Most of the hazard was produced by freshman center back Jaden Rall’s long throw-ins, more so before halftime. La Mirada deftly fended them off — well-placed free kicks and corner kicks from Rall and Sydney Patel, too — primarily through freshman midfielder Zoey Santiago, at 5-foot-10 a towering presence here.

“She was all over every ball,” Maynard said. “She was probably their best player, for sure.”

Matadores coach Dave Christensen estimated that Santiago “probably won 99% of those. Without her, we’d be hard-pressed.”

The Lightning, most efficient from the flanks, created chances — Charlotte Cheng and Capri Hall got to headers from Rall tosses early in the first half — and Ceci Ball found the net in the 27th minute, from a chaotic goalmouth scrum after Fiona Flynn headed another Rall throw. She was flagged offside.

La Mirada created nearly nothing of consequence before the break, but was on top of the Lightning to start the second half, creating three successive corner kicks, then penetrating on the left wing — sophomore center back Marley Walker clinically closed it down — just before Briggs’ goal, her sixth of the season.

The goal, from a counterattack, was a one-off. It was the only time either side was able to isolate a forward in the box. Briggs, her back to the goal and Rall marking her, took a feed from Zoé Chang on her right, whirled to her right into space, and fired to the right side of the net.

Maynard, who was going the other way, said Briggs “faked me out.”

“Bri can turn a ball really well,” said Christensen, who has guided the Matadores to the regionals seven times in the past 11 seasons. “She did a great job with a player on her back of turning it and cutting it back against the goalkeeper. Fantastic finish.”

The Matadores’ defense made the difference the rest of the way, killing four good Sage Hill chances — three of them during six and half minutes of added stoppage time — and cutting off another four forays through senior midfielder Marissa Valdez.

Those three arrived in succession. La Mirada senior goalkeeper Mia Cook herded a Rall header from a free kick, then tipped another Rall header, from a long ball, over her crossbar. Freshman striker Keila Fukuda hit the crossbar on the ensuing corner kick. Nothing came of three more treks into the box.

Two championship plaques would have been nice. One is grand.

“[Soccer is a] crazy game,” Maynard said. “There’s never a guarantee that you’re going to win or lose. It’s just what day it is. Anything can happen. ... I’m so proud we got to the state finals. CIF [Southern Section] was the one we were most focused on, because we didn’t think we were going to get this far, even to state.

“CIF was a huge accomplishment, and finalist in the state is an amazing accomplishment.”