LONG BEACH — Ireland Churchill doubled her fun and helped make school history.
Churchill scored twice – including the match winner in the 79th minute – as the Roosevelt girls soccer team came from behind to defeat Palos Verdes 3-2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship match Saturday night at Veterans Stadium.
“We’ve been down before and it’s nothing we can’t handle,” said Churchill, who has 25 goals this season. “We stayed composed, and once we got another goal then we knew we had it.”
Goalkeeper Reylena Wilson was shaky early but came away with two saves for Roosevelt (23-4-1 overall), which allowed multiple goals for only the second time this calendar year.
“The girls kept believing in each other and in themselves, and we just kept chipping away,” Roosevelt coach Andrew Tillehkooh said. “It just goes to show the effort that’s been put in.”
Isabelle Salazar set up both the equalizing goal and the match-winner for the Mustangs, who had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs before this season.
“It’s just so surreal to be here, and I’m just so thankful,” Salazar said.
Big VIII League girls teams won championships in the section’s two top divisions. Santiago won the Open Division title Friday.
“This is huge for our program,” Tillehkooh said. “I’ve been here for nine years, and I’ve been telling the girls, ‘You’re just as good as anybody.’”
Maddy Herniter and Gemma Pappas had goals in the first half, but Palos Verdes (19-4-1) was unable to hold onto its 2-0 lead.
Herniter scored with a header to the far post past Wilson in the fifth minute, and Pappas added to the lead in the 19th minute after beating Wilson one-on-one.
Roosevelt got on the scoreboard 3 minutes later, when Churchill tapped in a cross from Delilah Woods and headed into halftime comfortable that their playmakers would be difference makers in the second half.
“(Churchill) has the mindset and it’s so important for us,” Tillehkooh said. “She has the skill, she has the talent but it’s her mindset, and everyone knows that’s what sets her apart.”
The Mustangs dominated the entire second half, producing six shots on goal, but did not score until Sophie Leoro got up to nod in a corner kick from Salazar for the tying goal in the 74th minute.
“It’s so awesome to be with a team that knows how to work under pressure,” Salazar said.
With less than 90 seconds to play and Roosevelt looking for the match winner, Salazar whipped in a cross from the left side to Churchill.
“I just knew we had the grit to keep on working,” Salazar said. “We were hungry to keep winning and (Churchill)’s work ethic gives us energy.”
Churchill worked to control the ball before turning her defender and firing quickly into the back of the net past Palos Verdes goalkeeper Anna Pilato.
“We got the ball up and it was bouncing around,” Churchill said. “I shielded it off, got the turn (and) shot it. It was good.”
Roosevelt has won eight consecutive matches and will enter the CIF State regional playoffs next week.
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