Huntington Beach girls’ soccer continues drawing strength from late teammate’s memory
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Huntington Beach struck early, then delivered a defensive masterclass Wednesday evening to claim its first girls’ soccer postseason victory since 2020.
Credit the Oilers’ missing talisman.
Alicia Katter’s 10th-minute header from Sienna McAthy’s cross provided the edge, and pivotal midfield work from Isla Castillo and Bailey Oliver made it stand for a rain-soaked 1-0 victory over visiting Arcadia to open the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
It made Huntington Beach (14-5-4) one of five Sunset League teams to reach the second-tier Division 1’s round of 16 — alongside No. 4-seeded champion Los Alamitos, third-seeded Newport Harbor, Edison and Corona del Mar — and provided another home game Friday, against second-seeded Orange Lutheran (9-4-1).
The Oilers are reaching maturity at the best possible moment.
“[We’re] elevating to the point that now we’re buying into what we’re doing,” head coach Raul Ruiz said. “And, most importantly, we’re playing for a reason.”
They’ve rallied in tribute to Kelly Reid, a junior midfielder and their preeminent “glue” player, who was killed Jan. 2 when the small airplane piloted by her father, Pascal, crashed into a furniture warehouse after takeoff from Fullerton Municipal Airport.
“We’re playing for her now,” said Katter, a junior attacking midfielder. “Everything we do is for Kelly. We have her in our hearts always, and she’s with us on the field at all times, supporting us and being there for us. We can feel her. ... We’re always working super hard for her, giving everything on the field, because she would always give everything on the field.”
Reid, who also played for Huntington Beach’s flag football and girls’ lacrosse teams, is, McAthy said, “our driving force.”
“That’s what pushes us,” the junior forward said, “because we know that if she were here, she’d be the first person who’s, like, ‘We’ve got to win this game.’ So we always think, like, play with that 12th player on the field. It really pushes us everyday.”
It prodded the Oilers into early command against Pacific League champion Arcadia (10-2-5), their direct approach unhinging their foe’s possession game for the first 20 minutes or so. It might have led to three goals but for the Apaches’ high defensive line, which caught Huntington Beach offside five times, and goalkeeper Adrienne Lim, who made one-on-one stops on senior Hannah Studebaker in the fourth minute and freshman Chloe Donnelly in the 17th.
Katter, just 5-foot-2, was precise on McAthy’s serve.
“It’s always a battle going for a header, especially with my size,” she said. “If you move quickly off the ball, anticipate where the ball is and get there first, you’re always going to battle for the ball. I felt confident in that moment that I was going to get it, and it went in.”
It left Arcadia chasing the game, and once it found its rhythm, the Oilers spent most of their energy defending. The Apaches, spearheaded by Lim playing 30 to 40 yards off her line, as a “sweeper/keeper” to cut off direct balls, dictated the game most of the rest of the way but struggled to penetrate.
Salazar, a freshman who Ruiz called “phenomenal,” and Oliver, a junior, dominated in front of a back line led by junior Kaitlyn Lee and sophomore Alexis Katter, Alicia’s younger sister.
“When they threw numbers, they had the ball,” Ruiz said. “And we said when they step in our final third, we have to step and make sure we’re compact, and that’s when we’ve got to work extra hard, and that’s what we did.”
Oilers freshman goalkeeper Stella Adler came up big twice on shots from distance, parrying two shots from distance off the crossbar, a 35-yard Daniela Guzman blast in the 32nd minute and Bella Ackerman’s dipping 45-yard free kick 11 minutes into the second half. She was strong in the air, grabbing balls in traffic as Arcadia won six second-half corner kicks.
It was the mark of a team finding its stride.
“We all know what we’re playing for,” Ruiz said. “It’s more meaningful than any other season. I always tell my team: She’s looking after us. I told [that to] the group at halftime, [that we need to] just continue believing, continue grinding, continue fighting, and things are going to happen. And guess what? They did.”
Also in the CIF Southern Section girls’ soccer playoffs:
Newport Harbor 2, El Segundo 1: Lily Achak and Skylie Cid scored for the Sailors in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs Wednesday night at home.
Newport Harbor (16-4-3) hosts Anaheim Canyon in the second round Friday.
Edison 2, Torrance 0: Lola Coderre and Aubrey Dollins had goals for the Chargers, as they opened the Division 1 playoffs Wednesday at home.
Katelyn Chantha had an assist for Edison (13-7-3), which plays at Ontario Christian in the second round Friday.
Corona del Mar 5, Lakewood St. Joseph 2: The Sea Kings’ high-powered attack earned them a Division 1 first-round win on the road Wednesday.
CdM (15-6) hosts league champion Los Alamitos in an all-Sunset League affair Friday in the second round.
El Dorado 2, Laguna Beach 1: The Breakers (11-6-1) fell in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs on the road Wednesday.
Trabuco Hills 3, Fountain Valley 0: The Barons (9-9-3) lost their Division 3 opener on the road on Wednesday.
Sage Hill 2, Linfield Christian 0: The Lightning earned a shutout win at home Wednesday to open the Division 4 playoffs.
Sage Hill (9-3) plays at San Marcos in the second round Friday.
Costa Mesa 4, Burbank Burroughs 1: The Mustangs eased to a win in a Division 4 opener Wednesday.
Costa Mesa (12-7-1) plays at Don Lugo in the second round Friday.
Immaculate Heart 1, Pacifica Christian Orange County 0: The Tritons (15-9-2) saw their season come to a close Wednesday in a Division 4 road opener.
Estancia 3, Sultana 0: The defending CIF champion Eagles earned a shutout win Wednesday to open the Division 5 playoffs.
Kimberly Munoz scored twice and Paloma Vallejo added a goal for Estancia (9-4-4), which plays at Palmdale Knight in the second round Friday.
Capistrano Valley Christian 4, Los Amigos 1: The Lobos (13-2-1) fell Wednesday in the first round of the Division 6 playoffs.
Staff writer Matt Szabo contributed to this report.
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