Soccer Teams Kicked Out

Palisades High Boys Lose in Shootout; Girls Blanked by El Camino Real

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

As they trudged off the field with heads hung low following last Wednesday afternoon’s City Section Division I semifinal, Palisades High boys soccer players lamented several missed opportunities that cost them a berth in the final for the first time since the Dolphins claimed the program’s only title in 2016.

Despite battling hard through 80 minutes of regulation and an added 15 minutes of overtime in cold and windy conditions at Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex, Palisades lost 4-1 in a penalty kick shootout.

After Edan Lavarovitch scored to give the host Royals a 1-0 lead on their first attempt, goalkeeper Matthew Ceja dove to his right and blocked a low drive by Palisades’ Coleman Severs with his foot. Anthony Villa made it 2-0, but James Rockwell calmly tucked his shot inside the right post to get Palisades on the scoreboard. ECR converted its third try, then Noah Badener’s bid for the upper right corner sailed over the crossbar and suddenly the Dolphins were behind by two goals with two rounds left. The end came moments later when Jonathan Rabinovitch netted ECR’s fourth goal to clinch the victory and set up a finals showdown with West Valley League rival Birmingham, the No. 1 seed.

“Looking back I guess we could’ve controlled the ball more and taken  more possession but we were a little off on our corner kicks today,” said Rockwell, who is eager to join the volleyball team and help Palisades try to defend its title. “On my shot it was about repeatable mechanics. I go bottom right corner every time and the fact that we missed our first one motivated me to make it. You have to soak in the moment and not let pressure get to you. In a way it hurts more to lose on penalties, but  I’d rather go out this way because  at least we can say we kept a clean sheet. We didn’t let them score on us and that’s really all we can do.”

Palisades made the semifinals with a pair of 1-0 wins versus Granada Hills and Chavez and despite losing for the first time in 12 games they were awarded the No. 7 seed in the Southern California Regional Division III playoffs and faced No. 2 Los Alamitos in the first round Tuesday. If victorious, the Dolphins will travel to El Dorado or Pioneer Valley in the semifinals today at 5.

Last Tuesday on the same field the Pali High girls squad was seeking to avenge its nonleague loss to El Camino Real on Jan. 4, but the result was the same—a 2-0 defeat in the semifinals that brought the Dolphins’ season to an abrupt end. The Royals dictated tempo from the start and scored the only goal they would need on a shot by Sharon Alcocer off a feed from Sophia Frederick in the penalty area in the 18th minute. Alcocer tallied again on a well-placed strike to the upper right corner from 25 yards out five minutes into the second half and goalie Isabella Andrino leaped to tap a shot by Palisades senior Hannah Kalt off the crossbar and out of  play with 15 minutes to go to keep the shutout intact. It was another frustrating playoff exit for Palisades, which got eliminated by its nemesis one game short of the final for the second straight year.

“To win City, you’re going to have to go through ECR,” Pali High coach Christian Chambers said. “So at some point we have to figure out how to beat them.”

Despite the setback, the Dolphins (14-2-2) had a successful season in which they went unbeaten in Western League play and totaled 91 goals in 18 games.

“I’m really proud of everyone and the way we fought,” senior captain Izzy Walker said afterwards.

El Camino Real went on to blank Cleveland 4-0 Saturday for its 15th City title and in doing so achieved a rare feat—not allowing a goal all season to a City opponent. In fact, the Royals entered Tuesday’s Southern California Regional Division II tournament having outscored their last 15 opponents 43-0.