Austin, Gamboa guide Falcons to Las Vegas Kickoff title
Drea Austin was running out of chances to give Foothill’s girls soccer team a win Saturday night.
But the sophomore forward made the most of one perfectly timed pass in the final 10 minutes.
Austin took a pass from teammate Alyssa Gamboa across the width of the field and buried it from inside the penalty box with eight minutes remaining to give the Falcons a 2-1 victory over Liberty (Calif.) in the championship match of the Las Vegas Kickoff at Anthem Hills Park.
“I just beat my defender and went to where the goalie was not,” Austin said. “I knew my team. We wanted it. We needed it. We were ready to fight until the end.”
The Falcons (3-1-1) struck first when Gamboa pounced on a loose ball in front of the goal less than three minutes into the match for a 1-0 lead.
But the Lions came back just three minutes later, as Mikayla Monier’s unassisted left-footed blast dipped inside the top left corner to even the score.
Kim Callen made six saves to preserve the win for the Falcons, including a reflex save on a shot by Liberty’s Sydney Gruss two minutes before halftime that kept both teams level at the break.
“Last year, I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and had to watch the rest of the team play,” said Callen, one of only four returning players. “Coming back, it was a fresh start, a new team, a new coach, and everybody really wanted it. It’s a good, big difference.”
Callen made the play of the match after Austin’s late goal, as the Lions put together a frenzied attempt to equalize.
Liberty’s Kayla Hughes lobbed a ball into the top left corner in the 75th minute that appeared destined to find the net. But Callen stretched backward and tipped it wide with a finger save to preserve the win.
“I was in so much pain, but I had to get a hand on it, and make sure it went out,” Callen said. “Whether it was a corner or not, I just went. It was all reaction.”
Foothill, which posted a 4-13-1 record a year ago, nearly matched that win total in the tournament, going 3-0-1.
“You can’t even describe this feeling,” first-year coach Cynthia Guzman said. “I knew minute by minute, it was getting more nerve-wracking. (Liberty is) a great team, and they had some great shots.
They worked the ball really well. But we wanted it.”
The title gives the Falcons momentum at the start of the Class 4A girls soccer season in Southern Nevada, as well as a confidence boost to compete for a berth in the postseason.
“I think it recultivates the soccer program at Foothill,” Guzman said. “This is a young team, but very talented and disciplined. It’s about giving it all you have to the very last call, not giving up. I told our players that we have to dig deep, be driven, want it more and play with heart.”
Palo Verde 0, Mingus (Ariz.) 0 — Jordan Goyeau made four saves as the Panthers played to a scoreless tie with the Marauders in the third-place match.
Taylor Brott had five saves for Mingus.
Rancho 2, Clark 1 — Chanel Eliason scored twice to help the Rams rally for their second win over the Chargers in two days.
Azucena Bernal scored five minutes into the second half to give Clark a 1-0 lead, but Eliason tied it up five minutes later with her first goal.
Mingus (Ariz.) 3, Green Valley 2 — Torey Braly had two goals, and Makenzie Mabery added one as the Marauders downed the Gators in the final round of pool play.
Jordan Andrews and Faith Ezelle each scored a goal for Green Valley.
Foothill 2, Clark 0 — Gamboa and Jilian Vigil scored as the Falcons blanked the Chargers in pool play.
Callen was in goal for the shutout.
Liberty (Calif.) 7, Sierra Vista 0 — Mikayla Farber notched three goals as the Lions pulled away from a 2-0 halftime advantage and routed the shorthanded Mountain Lions, who played with 10 players.
Quianna Ashley-White, Kristy Garcia, Rachel Robbert and Nicole Ulricksen scored a goal apiece for Liberty.
Palo Verde 3, Rancho 0 — Kirstin Farley had two goals, and Serenity Grimm also scored to help the Panthers top the Rams in pool play.
Goyeau made four saves to earn the shutout.
