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Chargers don’t have the finishing touch

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The only thing the Edison High girls’ soccer team lacked Tuesday in its CIF Southern Section Division 1 second-round match against Mission Viejo was a finishing touch.

It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort, desire or drive by the eighth-ranked Chargers that cost them against the visiting Diablos, a 1-0 defeat that did put the finishing touch on what had been an outstanding season.

“We just didn’t finish,” Edison Coach Kerry Crooks said after her team — which she said overachieved in 2010-11 — had its season end. “We had our opportunities but couldn’t complete them, and that’s the game of soccer. We played great defense but gave up a goal, and it’s a situation like this tonight that people love and hate about soccer. You can play so well and still lose.”

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Mission Viejo, the No. 2 team from the South Coast League, took its 1-0 lead on a goal by Carly Mottram early in the second half. Edison, which earlier this month won its first Sunset League championship since 2002, assaulted the Diablos net on several occasions in the closing half, yet couldn’t convert. Actually, they did convert with just under three minutes remaining when Rebecca Ross appeared to have scored off a corner kick, but the Chargers were denied the tying score on an offsides call.

That was frustrating,” Crooks said.

The loss snapped an eight-game win streak by the Chargers.

“Mission Viejo came out with a tough defense and did a good job early, but like I said, we had our chances to score,” Crooks said. “It’s frustrating, but the girls had an amazing season. They achieved more than most thought and nobody thought they’d win a league championship, but they did. They fought hard throughout the season and fought hard tonight until the very last second and gave it their all on the field. As a coach, that’s all you could ask of your team. I’m very proud of them.”

Edison, which ended the year 16-6-4, began postseason play Feb. 17 and scored a 2-0 shutout home win over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Angelisa Cortez and Shannon Wright scored and Nikki Fedele and Brooke Lillywhite each had an assist.

On a night that Edison was eliminated, Ocean View posted a big road win to keep its title hopes alive.

In a Division 6 second-round game Tuesday in Covina, visiting Ocean View used a first-half goal by Aleanna Vargas to polish off Valle Vista League champion and fifth-ranked Northview, 1-0. Vargas scored off an assist from Raquel Thomas and Mallory Koci registered 12 saves for the Seahawks — the second-place team from the Golden West League, who will play at quarterfinal game at San Marino, the No. 3 team from the Rio Hondo League.

Ocean View opened postseason play Feb. 17 with an 11-0 rout of San Gabriel Mission. Thomas and Melissa Cooley each had two goals and Kelly Dooley led the Seahawks in assists with three.

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Boys’ Soccer

Top-seed Edison gained a measure of revenge Friday when the Chargers blanked Harvard-Westlake, 3-0, in a first-round CIF Division 1 playoff game at Edison.

A year ago, the Wolverines eliminated Edison from title contention by defeating the Chargers on penalty kicks in the semifinals. This time around, Edison won by shutout on a rainy and windy day.

Tyler Bigenho, Trevor Verone and Mitchel Alvarez all scored goals for the Chargers, who improved to 23-1 and have outscored their 24 opponents, 97-8.

Edison played a second-round game Wednesday at Baseline League champion Glendora, but the score wasn’t available at press time. The winner of the Edison-Glendora game moves on to Friday’s quarterfinal round and will play the winner of another second-round game Wednesday between and No. 9 Cabrillo/Long Beach- No. 8 St. John Bosco. Friday’s winner advances to Tuesday’s semifinals round.

In other Division 1 action involving local schools, both Marina and Fountain Valley won wild-card matches Feb. 16, but each was eliminated from postseason play Friday.

Marina, the No. 3 team from the Sunset League, blanked Los Osos, 1-0, in a wild-card game to advance Friday to a first-round game at South Coast League champion Tesoro. The Vikings fell to the Titans, 2-1.

Fountain Valley, a playoff at-large entry from the Sunset League, edged Bell Gardens, 2-1, in its wild-card game and moved on to play at Channel League champ Ventura. The Barons were edged, 3-2, by the Cougars.

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