Woodside soccer falls in OT in Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals

Despite having its midfield negated and resisting wave after wave of Mitty attacks, Woodside mostly weathered the Monarchs’ constant harassment.

Ultimately, Mitty wore down Woodside. The Monarchs tied the game at 1-all with about 10 minutes left in regulation and then scored the game-winner with approximately three minutes in the second 10-minute overtime period to escape with a 2-1 win and advance to the Open Division finals Friday night against Leigh.

It’s the second overtime decision in as many games for Woodside, which beat No. 4 Pioneer 2-1 in the first round Saturday.

“They put relentless pressure on you,” Navarrete said. “They choke the life out of you.”

In addition, the top-seeded Monarchs (8-0-2) were more physical, stronger on the ball and phenomenal with the ball at their feet. Their speed and touch gradually made the Woodside midfield retreat further and further back into the defensive end, giving Mitty acres of space to move the ball.

That presented a problem for the Wildcats.

“You counter the press with quick ball movement through the midfield,” Navarrete.

Despite all that, the fifth-seeded Wildcats were minutes away from a win in regulation and sending the game to a shootout.

But Mitty’s relentless play paid off late on a scramble just off to the side of the Woodside net. Amid the scrum, Katie Murphy managed to get a toe on the ball and poked across the mouth of the goal and just over the goal line for the game-winner in the 97th minute.

While Mitty may play a different style than the Woodside (9-1-3), the Wildcats proved they are just as talented as the Monarchs and they gave as good as they got in the first 40 minutes as the teams raced up and down the field.

Mitty had a golden scoring chance in the 15th minute as the Monarchs pounced on a countattack opportunity following the clearance of a Woodside corner kick. A one-time clearance from the penalty box went right to Emma Vane, who was quickly joined by a trio of teammates and the four were off to the races.

Initially, it was a four-on-none, but the Woodside defensive line recovered. Josephine Meade came streaking back from midfield to apply just enough pressure for the rest of the defense to collapse on Vane and her shot was swept aside with a kick save from Woodside goalkeeper Evangeline Viray.

Three minutes later, Jordan Geis, a 5-10 freshman, took a pass from Vane at the top of the penalty box and fired on goal.

It ricocheted off the left post and the game stayed scoreless.

The Wildcats stabilized after that and started to get up into the attack. Elise Evans, who started the game as a center back, was slowly moving up into the offense and had a shot saved in the 38th minute.

In the 40th, however, no one could have stopped Evans. The Wildcats received a free kick just outside the penalty box after the Mitty goalkeeper took a step over the line with the ball still in her hands.

With the Mitty defensive wall set up halfway into the penalty box, Evans would have to hit the ball high enough to get over the wall, but low enough to get under the crossbar.

No problem for the Stanford commit and U18 national team player. Evans stepped up and blasted a rocket of a shot into the roof of the net to give Woodside a 1-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Mitty took control of the game with their possession. But the Wildcats stood firm on the defensive line and repelled the Monarchs at every turn.

But lack of any cohesion in the midfield started to become an issue for Woodside and the feeling was Mitty was eventually going to score.

Which it did with a perfectly placed shot. Geis took a pass from Vane in the center of the field and from 30 yards out, lofted a shot on goal that was over the outstretched hands of Viray and just under the crossbar for the equalizer in the 71st minute.

Woodside managed to hold off the Monarchs for the final several minutes to force overtime.

In the opening 10 minutes of extra time, Woodside seemed rejuvenated. The Wildcats started to challenge the Monarchs more as neither team could mount much of a threat.

The game was seven minutes into the second 10-minute overtime period when the Monarchs struck the game-winner.

“They’re lightning quick. We don’t have anything that resembles them in the PAL,” Navarrete said. “My girls gave it 100%.”