Menlo eliminated from Nor Cal girls’ soccer playoffs in PKs

Earlier in the postseason, the Central Coast Section-champion Knights advanced through the opening round of the CCS Division IV tournament with a win in PKs that went eight rounds deep for a 1-1 (6-4 PKs) victory over Carlmont. This time around, Menlo failed to convert a single penalty kick, as Carrillo made its first three to wrap up the showdown early.

“Overall, they were fantastic,” Menlo head coach Ross Ireland said of his team. “Great team they played against, they fought hard, and I thought if you rated it on chances, we were right there with them. So, it’s disappointing.”

The most disappointing exchange came in the 67th minute when Menlo (17-5-3) earned a free kick on the wing from 20 yards out.

Senior Audrey Hochstetler played it in, and the ball rattled around deep inside the box for a header from freshman Everleigh Porter at point-blank range deflected by Pumas goalkeeper Sophie McGarva. The ball stayed in play as Menlo converged for a scrap right in front of the goal line, with McGarva slapping another shot away as she fell to the ground before a wall of three Castilleja defenders were successful in backing up their goalie and clearing the ball.

“It should have been a goal,” Ireland said. “You can’t miss those.”

Menlo’s pressure was a familiar sight as the game wore on, as the Knights went from a tactical defensive posture to one of aggression in the second half.

It didn’t hurt Menlo was playing from an early deficit, as Carrillo scored in the opening 10 minutes on a deep ball placed over the top for senior Sammi Guerra. The forward needed just one touch to chip it over the head of Menlo goalkeeper Bianca Putanec to stake the Pumas to an early 1-1 lead.

Menlo would use most of the first half before answering, but scored the equalizer in the closing minutes of the first half. Freshman forward Amelia Warman booted it in in the 32nd minute, taking a through ball just past the 18-foot hash to earn a 1-v-1 with the keeper, who charged out of the box before Warman nailed it in to tie it 1-all.

“The ball came down, it was laid off, and it was put back in the box,” Ireland said.

It was the last time Menlo would put the ball in the net, though — including in PKs.

Carrillo went on the attack for the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Menlo’s defense, highlighted by freshman center back Addi Bruni, held the line. As the half progressed, the Knights began to take control of the ground game and chunked away at the field position to pressure more as the half wore on.

It’s a style Menlo has shown consistently as of late, including in its Nor Cal opener Tuesday — a 1-0 win over Sonoma Academy-Santa Rosa — in which the Knights responded to a lethargic first half by turning up the pressure in the second.

“It may have been, but not by design, not with the tactical changes,” Ireland said. “We are a very fit team. So, that was fine.”

Menlo had several chances in the second half. In the 55th minute, the Knights played a corner kick with a short inlet pass up the end line. A pass back to the corner was send into the box for senior Alyssa McAdams, who timed a header, but struck it over the crossbar.

In the 73rd minute, a steal by Bruni in the penalty area led to Menlo flipping the field like a rocket. After two big swings of possession, Menlo earn one more long shot on goal from 30 yards away, but senior Roya Rezaee’s shot was easily covered by McGarva.

In PKs — after a 15-minute “Golden Goal” overtime period — Carrillo shot first toward the south goal, and senior Kalli Cho exacted the first attempt uncontested inside the right post. Seniors Ashley Ngo and Anya Halvovich each made their PKs in succession for the Pumas, with Menlo missing and missing again. When Menlo’s third PK went sailing over the crossbar, it clinched the victory for Carrillo.

The Pumas now advance to the CIF Nor Cal championship game Saturday to face No. 2 Chico at 5 p.m.