SOLEDAD — The Monte Vista Christian girls’ soccer team won the coin toss to see who would shoot first in a penalty shoot-out during Monday’s Central Coast Section Division IV quarterfinals match against Soledad High.
Senior midfielder Jana Komposch was already set on going first even though they won the coin toss, trying to get the upper hand on the Soledad Aztecs first.
Her plan worked as she scored the first goal for the No. 8 Mustangs, which was then followed up with scores by Julia Reiland and Maia Kilinski to help lift the Mustangs get past the top-seeded Aztecs.
MVC coach Chris Dibble said their trio of shooters put the ball on frame right where it was supposed to be.
Sophomore goalie Alexa Malespina had one save and allowed one goal in the shoot-out. Dibble said that all the other shooters for Soledad were off frame and they prevailed before sending out the Mustangs’ final shooter.
MVC’s win came after a bizarre twist of events that followed Saturday’s meeting between both teams, in which the Aztecs initially won, 1-0.
But after further review and discussion by the CCS, there was an officiating error that led to two additional five-minute overtime periods that shouldn’t have taken place.
Per CCS rules, the game should have ended after two 10-minute overtime halves and gone into a penalty shoot-out. The officials went by National Federation of State High School Associations rules, which has two five-minute overtime halves after the original two 10 minute halves.
MVC Athletic Director Matt Coleman said they officially protested to the CCS committee after the match. They asked them to consider ending the match per CCS postseason guidelines.
“Whether we win or lose, we want to give our girls the opportunity to end it as it should have been, via PKs,” Coleman said. “We appreciate and value that CCS listened and we are fortunate to be given this opportunity.”
The CCS committee ruled in favor of MVC, giving them new life and a chance to end the game on a penalty shoot-out. Coleman said he appreciated that CCS Commissioner David Grissom listened to their side and the consideration.
“We respect Soledad, their coaches, players and hate that we have been out in this situation,” Coleman said. “No doubt life lessons for all involved.”
Dibble said he was glad that CCS representatives were willing to understand and resolve the discrepancy. Especially after he learned of another playoff game that was decided per the CCS rules established on their web page.
“However, we all feel remorse for the Soledad players, coaches and families,” Dibble said. “They had no part in the error and the anger I heard from fans after the game is very understandable.”
Dibble said they appreciated the opportunity to showcase their players’ abilities and now they look forward to playing Salinas once again. The Mustangs lost to the Cowboys, 4-0, in a competitive game on Dec. 7. Dibble said it was early in the season and they were missing several players that evening.
“I approach the game with respect for the Salinas players and coach and look forward to a spirited game,” he said.
The Mustangs (11-7-3) played at No. 4 Salinas (7-3-7) on Wednesday, during which the Cowboys won by a score of 2-0. Salinas will now head to the finals on Saturday at home against North Salinas.
Reporting by Juan Reyes and Lucia Meza.
