BY MIRJAM SWANSON
STAFF WRITER [email protected]
Another match, another win, another jolt of momentum for the Hemet girls soccer team, which defeated San Jacinto, 3-0, Tuesday.
The Bulldogs — topranked in CIF-SS Division 6 — continued their charge toward the playoffs, improving to 9-0 in league play and 19-2-2 overall. Only a Mountain Pass League match with Hemet Tahquitz remains before the postseason for Hemet, which reached the semifinals last season.
“The girls really want to be undefeated (in league),” said Hemet coach Craig Dwinnell, whose team went 9-0-1 last season. “But this time they want to be 10-0.”
Against the second-place Tigers (14-7-3, 4-3-2), senior captain Rosie Robinson turned the tide in her final regular-season appearance on her home field, coming through with a goal that had both teams’ coaches raving.
“The game plan for us was to not allow them to score,” said Tigers coach Walter Guzman, whose side succeeded in keeping the potent Bulldogs’ offense off the board for most of the match.
“But then that goal from Rosie, it came from an area you wouldn’t expect a goal to come from, she was almost touching the sideline. She let it rip. What a beautiful goal.”
“Just a rocket of a shot,” Dwinnell said by phone. “Very nice.”
It forced San Jacinto to try to attack, leaving itself vulnerable.
And that’s where freshman Krista Haddock came in, knocking in a pair of goals on breakaways, for her 25th and 26th tallies this season. The swift young forward also helped to set up Robinson’s goal, for her 16th assist of the season.
Robinson returned the favor on one of Haddock’s goals, for her 16th assist — to go with her 22 goals.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ defense notched its 17th shutout. Hemet has allowed only one goal in league play and eight all season.
“They’re strong everywhere,” Guzman said. “Strong on defense, even stronger on offense; they’re just an awesome team. If they don’t make it to the finals, I’ll be very surprised.”