CHULA VISTACHULA VISTA — The Escondido and Rancho Buena Vista girls soccer teams seem to be equals.
This year they’ve played two 80-minute games and a 15-minute playoff overtime — all scoreless.
But in round seven of penalty kicks, a diving save by a senior goalkeeper and a cool conversion by a freshman gave the top-seeded Longhorns a 4-3 PK win over the No. 3 Cougars in the San Diego Section Division IV final Saturday at Hilltop High.
“This is a real big deal. It’s a rebranding,” said RBV coach Karissa Koehler, who was a player for the Longhorns when they lost to La Costa Canyon in the 2010 section final. “I cried then when we lost, but to be honest I’ll probably cry more this time.”
After 95 minutes of mostly midfield play, the teams headed into penalty kicks.
After six rounds, it stood 3-3. Then RBV senior goaliekeeper Ruby Carter exploded to her right, soaring through the air to knock away the shot by Escondido (12-8-4).
“It was the only one I really had a chance on,” said Carter. “You can tell sometimes from their hip movements and watch their eyes.”
That left it up to Emily Vidican, the only freshman on the roster for RBV (9-7-4). She calmly stepped up and put it in the right corner for the win.
“To be honest I don’t like to overthink things,” said Vidican. “I knew where I wanted to go with it.”
Farmer is a freelance writer.
