NorCal playoff roundup: Cardinal Newman boys, Maria Carrillo girls win in soccer

With one minute left in a tie game Tuesday, Evan Lepe capitalized on a Pleasant Valley defensive error, controlled the ball and toed it into the goal to lock down a Cardinal Newman victory.

Lepe, a sophomore, scored two goals for the sixth-seeded ?Cardinals in their 4-3 upset over the No. 3 Vikings in the CIF NorCal regional boys Division IV soccer game in Chico.

The Cardinals advanced to play No. 7 Natomas at 4 p.m. Thursday at home in a semifinal after the Nighthawks upset No. 2 Mendota, 3-2.

The teams traded goals all game, starting with a Newman goal by Lepe in the 16th minute and Pleasant Valley evening it two minutes later.

In the second half, Creighton Anderson-Soria, a senior team captain, scored after receiving a ball in from Justin Patterson on a free kick. Anderson-Soria headed it nicely into the goal.

Pleasant Valley took a 3-2 lead on a penalty kick, but Newman’s Isaac Alberigi netted the tie goal on a cross from Lepe.

As time wound down, Pleasant Valley committed a devastating mistake, Newman coach Ryan Corriveau said.

A defender failed to control the ball and under pressure tried to head it back to his goalie. But it got past the keeper and Newman pounced for the winning goal.

“Our guy (Lepe) got to it first and dribbled it into the net,” Corriveau said.

Newman improved to 17-7-3.

Corriveau said Newman goalkeeper Sean Latham made several saves that kept the game within reach, and that Patterson and Anderson-Soria showed their senior leadership in the win.

Girls soccer

Ponderosa 6, ?Cardinal Newman 1

The fifth-seeded Cardinal Newman girls didn’t fare as well Tuesday at Shingle Springs in their Division II game against No. 4 Ponderosa.

Ponderosa jumped on the Cardinals early and Newman couldn’t turn it around, trailing 4-0 by halftime. It ended 6-1 Ponderosa.

The Cardinals finish 17-4-1.

“We were flat, we were tired. I think we were worn out from the weekend NCS and didn’t recover well,” said coach John Gilson.

Maria Carrillo 4, ?Los Gatos 1

Sixth-seeded Carrillo staged another upset, downing No. 3 Los Gatos with a strong second-half performance in Division II.

Playing at home, Los Gatos scored first about seven minutes in, waking up the tired Pumas, coach Michael Cox said.

Cassady Carpenter’s goal, from a Clara Gullixson assist, gave the Pumas the boost they needed, while goalkeeper Taylor Little kept them in the game with several saves.

Carrillo took a 2-1 lead about eight minutes into the second half on a Carina Fernandez ?set-piece goal, with an assist from Ally Fisicaro.

The contest remained close until the final 10 minutes, when the Pumas hammered it home.

Ashley Frye scored out of a cluster in front of the goal to make it 3-1. Julia Pell nailed the door shut with four minutes left with a screamer from about 35 yards out.

“It was one of those that just rises. And it went right over the goalie’s hands,” Cox said. “It was a dagger for Los Gatos.”

The Pumas (16-8-1) advanced to a 4 p.m. semifinal Thursday at No. 2 Clovis. Carrillo lost 2-0 to the Cougars early this season.

Boys Basketball

Clear Lake 66, Kingsburg 53

The 10th-seeded Clear Lake boys upset No. 7 Kingsburg in the Central Valley with a dominant second half.

Kingsburg led by four at the half, 33-29, but came out strong in the third period in a Division IV game.

The Cardinals’ defense held the Vikings to eight points in the third quarter, while taking a ?48-41 lead.

It was much of the same in the fourth quarter as Clear Lake scored the first 10 points of the period to take a 58-41 lead. The Cardinals outscored Kingsburg 18-12 in the quarter.

Clear Lake (27-4) will now travel to San Francisco to face the No. 2 Lincoln Mustangs ?(26-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Girls Basketball

Laguna Creek 60, Montgomery 55

No. 13 Montgomery’s run ended Tuesday with a tough road loss to fourth-seeded Laguna Creek in a Division II game.

The Vikings (24-9) lost only to Cardinal Newman in the North Bay League-Oak Division and advanced to the North Coast Section Division 2 title game before losing to No. 1 Alameda.

Winning an invitation to the DII regionals put them in the path of Laguna Creek, which had only lost three games all season.

The Cardinals jumped on Montgomery early, but the Vikings kept it close and had a halftime lead.

Montgomery extended its lead to five points going into the fourth quarter, but Laguna Creek turned the tables.

The Cardinals outscored Montgomery 24-14 in the final eight minutes for the win.

“We got in a position we had to foul and they made the shots,” coach Darryl LaBlue said. “I didn’t feel like we were a 13 seed and we certainly didn’t play like it.”

Elisa Arias led the Vikings with 14 points, while Ashleigh Barr and Lauren Schank each added 12.

“To walk out of there losers because of the score … we were coming home on the bus winners in my eyes,” LaBlue said.

Portola 77, ?Upper Lake 58

No. 8 Portola was just too much for the visiting Cougars in a Division IV game.

Upper Lake, seeded ninth in the NorCals, finished 22-7 after a 7-1 North Central League II title season.