Palm Desert edges Paloma Valley on penalty kicks
For Palm Desert goalkeeper Riley Wilson, the secret to stopping a penalty kick is in her opponent’s eyes.
“I like to watch where their eyes are as they’re walking up,” Wilson said after Thursday’s CIF-SS first-round playoff game against Paloma Valley. “A lot of people say watch their eyes when they’re standing over the ball about to kick, but you gotta watch them as they’re walking up to the spot. Because they know where they’re going, that’s the best time to watch.”
Wilson used her powers of perception to help lift the team to a win as the game went all the way to a penalty kick shootout and was still tied after six players from each team had gone. But on the seventh attempt, Wilson dove to her left, exactly where the Paloma Valley player kicked it, and she made the stop.
That opened the door for Palm Desert senior Reagan Van Horn to end the game, and she did, ripping one into the lower left part of the goal to touch off a celebration as the rest of the Aztecs team raced in to hug both Van Horn and Wilson. The game went into overtime 1-1, neither team scored in the extra session, and then Palm Desert won the shootout 6 to 5, with Wilson stopping two Paloma Valley shots while her teammates only missed once.
Van Horn, a senior who scored the Aztecs’ goal during regulation, looked calm as she approached the spot for her penalty kick. She must have been brimming with confidence, right?
“I had so many nerves, I couldn’t feel my whole body jogging up there. I honestly don’t remember anything. I pretty much blacked out,” she said with a laugh. “And then I was like, ‘OK, I have to make this.’ I knew I could do it. It was just my nerves getting in the way, so right before I took it, I took a deep breath. I mean it’s what 8 feet from the goal, and I just did what I had practiced a million times, and I was so relieved. When it went, all the nerves went away.”
The win moves Palm Desert into the second round of the Division 3 playoffs on Saturday where they will be home again against Santa Paula, 6-2 winners over Marlborough on Thursday.
The Aztecs controlled the possession most of the game Thursday, particularly in the first half, but could only
muster one goal. Van Horn found a seam, took a shot that was blocked right back to her and she hit with her left foot (even though she’s right-footed) to get it into an open net before the Paloma Valley goalkeeper could get back into position.
The game stayed 1-0 in the Aztecs favor until the visitors finally applied some sustained pressure. After the Aztecs failed to cleanly clear the ball from the box, a Paloma Valley player found the ball at her feet and poked it past Wilson. All of a sudden, a game the Aztecs had been in control of was tied 1-1 with 10 minutes left.
“We talked about that at halftime that this is our game and we dominated, but one mistake and they’ll be able to tie it, and that’s what happened,” coach Oliver Alaniz said. “And when it went to penalty kicks, I was very confident in Riley. We have a deep and talented team, and all of them are good PK takers, so I felt pretty confident. As far as choosing the players, it comes down to that moment, whoever’s feeling it, who wants to step up, and a lot of girls did.”
Through the rest of regulation and the two 10-minute overtimes, the Aztecs had multiple shots on goal, including two beauties, but the Paloma Valley goalkeeper was up to the task, making a few incredible saves to keep her team in it.
Then came the shootout in which both teams have five players alternate shots. If it’s still tied after five, then it’s sudden death. Here is how it broke down:
● First round: Paloma Valley scored, Palm Desert’s Nathalie Baca scored, 1-1
● Second: Wilson makes a save, but is ruled to have left her line early. On the second attempt, Paloma Valley scored, and then Palm Desert’s Olivia Dore scored to make it 2-2
● Third: Wilson got the stop, diving to her left to stone a Paloma Valley attempt, Palm Desert’s Ainsley Risenmay missed just left, and the score
stayed 2-2
● Fourth: Paloma Valley scored, Palm Desert’s Lauren Beaty scored, 3-3
● Fifth: Paloma Valley scored, Palm Desert’s Katelyn Gallagher, now in a must-score scenario, scored to make it 4-4
● Sixth: Paloma Valley scored, Palm Desert’s Maddox Trent, again in a must-score situation, scored to make it 5-5
● Seventh: Wilson stoned Paloma Valley, Palm Desert’s Reagan Van Horn zipped it into the lower-left corner, Aztecs win 6-5
It was all smiles for the Aztecs as they could finally exhale and know that their season would continue.
“I know I’m a senior so that could’ve been my last game,” Van Horn said. “I’m just so excited to keep it going and keep my career going on to Saturday with my teammates. I think out of the four years of me playing here, this group has the strongest bond. They’re all my best friends and if we stay together we can keep winning.”
shad.powers@desertsun.com