Girls Soccer: FSHA Clinches Mission League With Win over Chaminade

t co-coach Kathy Desmond needed only two words — and one letter — to describe what the Tologs have to work on prior to their first playoff match Feb. 17.

“Fitness and finishing,” she said, “the two Fs.”

While the Tologs seemed to have little trouble in the fitness department during their 2-1 victory over Chaminade on Monday night to clinch their second Mission League championship, their touch around the goal could use a little polishing.

After Breeana Koemans gave the Tologs a 1-0 in the fifth minute, FSHA failed to have one of its own players put the ball in the back of the net the rest of the way at Occidental College's Patterson Field. 

The Tologs certainly had their chances to put the game away early. Throughout a first half dominated by FSHA, the Tologs peppered Chaminade goalie Chinaar Desai with wave after wave of attacks on goal. They had 13 shots in the first half, but only put one in the back of the net, as shots either sailed past the net or were sent directly at Desai.

FSHA took a 2-0 lead via an on-goal from Chaminade’s Caroline Frost in the 40^th minute.

“The missed chances, you can’t really do that in playoffs,” Desmond said. “We’ve got to tighten up on that a little bit. And that’s what we were working on in practice is just finishing and not kicking the ball as hard as you can.

“Nobody is measuring in the back of the goal with a gun like they are in baseball. We just need to put the ball in the back of the net. They know that, we don’t have to remind them of that. But we’ll work on that.”

Desmond said one of thing things that will be emphasized during practice will be “cutting the ball back, rather than shooting near post.”

That’s how the Tologs (16-1-1, 8-1-1 in the ML) got their first goal. Junior forward Katie Johnson got the ball in the middle of the field and sped toward the right corner, attracting the attention of Desai and a scrambling Chaminade defense. But rather than try to power a shot through the Chaminade keeper, Johnson dumped the ball off to Koemans for an easy goal.

“(Johnson) was really really composed,” Koemans said. “(She) played it back, and I just placed it in the far post.”

Chaminade 15-4-2 (5-3-1) got on the board in the 53^rd minute when sophomore forward Katyee Wilson headed in a cross from fellow sophomore Amanda Shadler. The Eagles never put a shot on goal for a potential equalizer, and the Tologs held on for the title-clinching win.

“Mission League is tough,” Desmond said. “So anytime you win the Mission League — since this is only the second time we’ve done it — it’s always an accomplishment.”

Said Koemans: “It feels so great, especially to come back from not thinking we were going to win because we lost to Harvard-Westlake, and then coming through and winning the rest of the games.”

The Tologs won their final four games of the regular season after losing to Harvard-Westlake 4-3 on Jan. 24.

And in addition to delivering the Tologs a league title, the win gives them some momentum heading into the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs. The Tologs currently are ranked No. 3 in the division.

“I think with a win it was really, really positive,” Koemans said, “because we’re in Division I now playing a bunch of Orange County teams. It’s going to be a big challenge, so I think we need all the momentum and positive feelings we can get right now.”