Girls Soccer: Eagles Score First-Round Shutout

Eagle Rock’s girls soccer team shut out visiting Polytechnic 3-0 in the Los Angeles City Girls Soccer Invitational on Wednesday.

The Eagles (9-9-2) came into the match seeded seventh in the bracket, and though they had as many shot attempts as Poly in the game with 12, they were able to convert more for goals in the win.

“A lot of the game has to do with energy and we had that,” Eagle Rock assistant coach Rick Zuber said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries this year so the younger players are beginning to feel more comfortable with the seniors and they moved the ball well.

“(Poly) is a good team, and they got a lot of good opportunities,” Zuber added.

But in the end it was Eagle Rock who took advantage of its scoring chances.

The first goal came from senior midfielder Vanessa Capra in the 10th minute when she beat Parrots goalie Stephanie Romo.

In the 19th minute, Eagles midfielder Gina Gonzalez got an assist from sophomore Aurora Trejo for the second goal of the game.

Eagle Rock scored its third and final goal with a bit of luck when, in the 64th minute, Gonzalez kicked a high ball from the center of the pitch which landed in front of Romo but then bounced over her into the net.

Despite the ill-fated third goal, No. 10 Poly (8-4-3) came out of halftime stronger and was able to get better scoring opportunities, but it could not capitalize because of some great saves made by Eagles goalkeeper Angelica Stone. 

Stone blocked goals that came from close range that would have put the Parrots back in the game and finished the game with 11 saves.

A close call came in the 57th minute when Poly forward Alma Chavez approached the net and made a shot attempt that bounced off Stone but still managed to pass the goalie. Stone was able to rush to her feet and keep the ball from going into the net.

Some of the Parrots’ shots seemed rushed as they used great ball movement to get the ball down field only to then overshoot the net.

At the 62-minute mark, Poly moved the ball nicely through the middle of the field and forward Lupe Ramos scored a goal from close range. But the goal was disallowed because of an offside call.

“(I asked) if they wanted to go home and they all said, ‘No,’ ” Poly coach Jose Alvarez said. “I told them only one person could take this away from them and that’s themselves. They fought hard.”

Eagle Rock will face the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 2 Hamilton and No. 15 Grant on Feb. 24.

“I don’t research other teams,” Eagle Rock coach Jose Aguilar said in regard to how he will prepare his squad for the next round of playoffs. “We focus on ourselves and bring our game to them.”