CORRESPONDENT
February 21, 2013; 08:27 PM
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HEMET — Through 80-plus minutes of play, Hemet High’s nearly flawless season came down to two flights of the soccer ball. One found twine. The other found metal.
One look at the celebration on the La Quinta sideline and the tears on Hemet’s made clear which was which. Brielle Leon’s high arcing shot from 35 yards out in the 57th minute stood up as the Blackhawks scored a 1-0 victory in a Division 5 quarterfinal.
It stood up but it trembled a little.
In the closing seconds of stoppage time, Hemet’s Monerratt Cruz launched a shot from 30 yards out on the right side. It had La Quinta keeper Gina Anesko beaten but glanced off the left post. Less than a minute later, Hemet’s first loss of the season was in the book and so was the Bulldogs’ season.
“I thought it was in,” Bulldogs coach Craig Dwinnell said. “I couldn’t really tell the angle of it, but I was judging from their keeper. I thought we had it.”
There was, of course, more than the two shots to a game that seemed to divide into segments. La Quinta (20-4-4) dominated the first 20 minutes, putting constant pressure on Hemet’s defense. The Bulldogs, however, found their legs later in the first half.
“They (La Quinta) are really fast on the ball,” Hemet co-captain Nola Prickett said. “They’re very good passers and they can shoot. They’re a good team.
“But I thought, once we figured out what they were doing and made some adjustments, we played them good. We felt confident, but not over-confident.”
Hemet keeper Sarai Esquivel, whose status for the game was in question because of illness until about 30 minutes before kickoff, kept it close with a brilliant save in the 27th minute.
There wasn’t much she could do, however, on Leon’s shot, perfectly placed in the upper right corner of the net.
From there, it was a sprint to the finish for Hemet. The Bulldogs upped the pace of the game and generated a big chance almost immediately. Krista Haddock made a long run and, although she lost control near the goal line, Prickett and Cruz each had chances in a scramble in front of the net.
More chances came in the closing minutes before Cruz’s shot off the post. Kayla Bozer’s header off a free kick sailed just over the crossbar. A deep throwin appeared to create an opening but Anesko beat two Bulldogs to the ball. Anesko then made a save on Haddock’s well-placed shot from an angle.
The loss came two days after Hemet (22-1-3) played a wild contest with Fontana Summit, marked by multiple breakaway sprints and pushed through overtime and a shootout.
Asked how much effect that contest might have had on Hemet’s legs, Haddock said, “We might have been a little tired, but when I’m out there pushing forward and trying to make a play, I’m not thinking about whether my legs are tired.”