The Westlake High girls soccer team adapted and kept its season alive.
Playing their first game of the season on its home field, but without their star player, the Warriors edged visiting La Costa Canyon, 1-0, in the CIF-State Division II regional quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 3.
“They were better than us,” Westlake coach Frank Marino said. “We grinded one out. We’ll take it.”
With senior KK Chowana abroad with the Thailand national team, younger sister CC Chowana scored to give Westlake the lead in the 13th minute.
Chowana started the match in her sister’s playmaking role. Moments after Marino shifted her back to left wing, the freshman delivered the match’s only goal.
Freshman Hailley Johnson found Chowana down the left side. She beat a defender, reached the end line and slotted a finish inside the far post.
Goalkeeper Cierra Spencer and the Westlake defense kept its 10th shutout of the season.
“We did a great job,” Marino said. “We defended probably 12 corners today.”
The match was Westlake’s first on campus this season. It had played at Cal Lutheran University due to stadium renovations.
“The field is unbelievable,” Marino said. “The turf is beautiful.”
Second-seeded Westlake (16-3-1) will also host third-seeded Bakersfield-Garces Memorial in Thursday’s regional semifinal.
The Warriors are two wins away from taking part in the first CIF-State soccer championships, which is scheduled for March 13 and 14 at Natomas High in Sacramento.
Oaks Christian 1, San Diego-Mt. Carmel 0: Sophomore Laila Haness scored the game’s lone goal as the Lions found a way to win the CIF-State Division I regional quarterfinal on the road.
“We’ve been in this situation almost every year,” said Oaks Christian coach Sebastian Alvarado. “It’s always hard coming off a really tough loss or even a win (in CIF-SS), and getting up for another tournament.
“It was sluggish, but we did a good job possessing the ball as we always do. It took a while to get one in.”
Haness converted a rebound of Sam Mathis shot late in the first half and the Lions made it hold up with their first postseason shutout.
Oaks Christian (17-5-3) will travel to Santa Ana-Mater Dei in Thursday’s regional semifinals.
Del Sol 0, Los Angeles-Immaculate Heart 0: Freshman goalkeeper Carmen Sanchez won her third penalty shootout of the postseason as the Jaguars continued their unforgettable first postseason in program history.
Freshman Sophia Aguirre, freshman Brooklyn Pinon, sophomore Maryori Paredes and freshman Aliyah Arroyo converted penalty kicks as Del Sol won the tiebreaking shootout 4-3 after a scoreless draw in the CIF-State Division IV regional quarterfinals.
“We’re doing crazy things,” Del Sol coach Javi Figueroa said. “We’re not following the script by any means.”
Sanchez and a defense led by freshman central defender Sophia Aguirre and freshman right back Emma Camacho kept Del Sol’s first shutout of the postseason.
“It was not a very organized game,” Figueroa said. “It was sloppy. But it was all grit. My backline deserves credit. From the goalkeeper to the defenders, they were holding us up.
“Aguirre is a beast-mode player.”
Injury and fatigue forced Figueroa to use three different left backs in sophomore Diana Guzman, freshman Isis Magana, and Alexa Rosales, who made just her second appearance since returning from a season-long injury suffered in the season opener in November.
“It was their efforts that kept us in it,” Figueroa said. “Immaculate Heart could have taken that came from us.”
Del Sol (17-8-5) will visit San Jacinto in Thursday’s regional semifinals.
Immaculate Heart edged San Jacinto on penalty kicks to win the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 championship on Feb. 28. Del Sol fell 3-2 at Coachella Valley in the Division 5 final.
Joe Curley covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Three local girls soccer teams open state playoffs with wins
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
