SUNRISE REGION: Green Valley girls top Eldorado in overtime in Sunrise Region soccer playoffs

Green Valley freshman forward Londyn Lopez never imagined she would score this postseason.

She wound up scoring in sudden-death overtime Tuesday to give the Gators a 1-0 win over Eldorado in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A Sunrise Region tournament at Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex.

“It was just amazing,” said Lopez, who scored unassisted seven minutes into OT. “I did a move on the first (defender) and I realized there was nobody there, so I kept going and I had a shot, and I took it.”

That shot rebounded off Eldorado goalkeeper Chynna Hartmann, and Lopez was there to tap the ball just inside the left post.

“That was just outstanding individual effort, in overtime with massive amounts of pressure,” Green Valley coach Joel Parks said of Lopez’s goal.

Lopez scored on a header midway through the second half before an offsides call wiped away the goal.

Hartmann had nine saves for Eldorado (7-5-3), which had a goal taken away by an offsides call in the first half.

The Sundevils, the No. 3 seed from the Northeast League, started four freshmen.

“We came in it with nothing to lose,” said Eldorado coach Gerald Pentsil, whose team was in the playoffs for the first time in three years. “I told them just play your hearts out, you have nothing to lose.

“The second half of our season, that’s how we played. That’s one of the reasons we made the playoffs.”

Kylie Lowe posted a two-save shutout for Green Valley (15-1-1), which advanced to meet Rancho in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday.

It was Green Valley’s fourth straight shutout and sixth consecutive win overall, but the game was tighter than Parks expected.

“What an outstanding (Eldorado) team that was,” Parks said. “They were phenomenal. We did not expect that, and I’ll tell you what, they almost got us.”

Eldorado loses six seniors, including four who had been on varsity since their freshman season.

“I’m going to miss them,” Pentsil said. “It’s a tough way for them to go out.”

Coronado 2, Valley 0 — Veronica Subu scored a pair of second-half goals to lift the Cougars to the win.

Morgan Romito and Sarah Pate assisted on the goals.

Alexis Mansoor had a five-save shutout for Coronado (14-1-2), which faces Silverado in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Coronado coach Dana Neel attributed the scoreless tie at halftime to “first-round jitters.”

“The halftime talk was about not finishing our shots,” she said. “We were putting them all around the frame. You can’t score if you’re not on frame.”

Neel credited Subu, a New Mexico State signee, with lifting her team into the semifinals.

“Veronica’s definitely a leader on the field,” Neel said. “This is her last chance at this, so she’ll get it done.”

On Thursday, Coronado will attempt a 3-for-3 season sweep of Silverado. The Cougars beat the Skyhawks during the regular season, 3-1 on the road and 2-1 at home.

“They say the hardest thing in sports is to beat a team three times in a row, so we know we have a challenge on our hands,” Neel said. “There’s no way we’re going to overlook them.”

Valley (5-6-4) loses five seniors to graduation.

Silverado 2, Las Vegas 1 — Shelbi Spooner scored two goals to lead the Skyhawks (9-5-3) past the Wildcats.

Syrina Lopez and Taylor Richard assisted on the goals, which came in the 32nd and 42nd minutes.

Wendy Martinez scored for Las Vegas (7-5-3), which couldn’t erase a 2-0 deficit.

The Wildcats will lose five seniors to graduation.

Rancho 5, Basic 0 — Jahmela Muhammad and Zakiya Bywaters scored two goals each to help the Rams eliminate the Wolves.

Lexa Green also scored for Rancho (14-1-0), which got assists from Jenna Rae Lewis, Cindy Hernandez and Rebecca Revo.

Rancho goalkeeper Rachael Wiltshire had three saves in the shutout.

Basic (6-8-3) loses four seniors to graduation.