In the early evening of Wednesday, February 14, varsity girls soccer prepared for what looked like just another 5:00 PM start time in a successful season—to our surprise, it was actually Round 3 of the Division 2 CIF tournament. After an exhilarating showdown against Rosary Academy that ended in penalties to end Round 2, they were locked into a matchup against Camarillo who sported an 11-4-1 (win-loss-tie) record through two rounds of CIF.

Just from how the teams were battling throughout the first half, it was clear that Camarillo was going to give Ayala a run for their money if they wanted to get past the third round. Drives towards Camarillo’s goal were squashed consistently and the same if not more was shown by Ayala in return. The communication and coordination that had already taken them so far seemed like it was finally being tested, and they all seemed to adjust along the way.

Ayala was able to secure a corner kick for Haylee Dean (10) near the end of the half—she able to set up a pass before Viviana Naranjo (12) got a chance at the net, a path well-taken as she knocked the ball in with her head before she incurred an injury herself. Luckily, she was able to get up by her own volition and continue playing.

For the rest of the game, the same back-and-forth affair left no time for parents to breathe; when one team wasn’t making shot attempts, the other one was. Telling by the score, none of them ended up amounting to anything. However, with only two minutes left in the second half, something happened that seemed to be resurfaced memories of last season. As a Camarillo player dribbled near the line, she teetered with what ended up seeming like an out of bounds play, but the sideline referee paid no mind to it.

As if it were destiny, that same play allowed Camarillo to spot a goal past the keeper and tie the game at 1-1 with only a minute left in the game. Despondent, Ayala ended the half, trying their hardest to lock back in after feeling disgustingly close to an on-schedule Round 3 victory.

A nightmarish memory surged in the minds of many when thinking back to last year, when Ayala was in this exact position—overtime, Round 3 of CIF—and lost in the second set of penalty kicks in what seemed to be a very promising season. Determined to not let history repeat itself, Isabella Contreras (12) hustled down the line, with a little flair, to get the ball back to Dean—with another assist, she got Mikalya Benavidez (10) to knock the winning goal in with her thinker to end the game.

The girls flocked to the opposing goal and crashed into each other while celebrating what is now their most successful season in recent memory. Despite the disservice done unto them by the referees at the last second, they showed their mettle and focus by getting right back into action in overtime.

Ayala’s going to face Quartz Hill tomorrow in CIF Semi-Finals for what will be their third matchup against them, the two before going far from Ayala’s way. Despite Quartz Hill’s astonishing 25-1 record going into tomorrow’s game, it feels like the only team that could stop them would be our girls varsity team this year. Either way, as it’s been said before, whether they win or lose, they’ve done more than enough to win the hearts of parents and students this year. We wish you the best of luck in Lancaster tomorrow.