DIVISION I-A SOCCER: Chinn, Crusader girls rally past Tech

The members of the Faith Lutheran girls soccer team were posing for a picture Wednesday when a few of the players put up their index finger.

“Put your fingers down,” someone yelled out. “We haven’t won anything yet.”

Kristi Chinn scored two goals four minutes apart in the second half, and the Crusaders rallied for a 3-2 victory over Tech in a Division I-A Southern Region semifinal at Heritage Park.

As a result, Faith Lutheran (16-4-1) will have its chance to win something at 10 a.m. Saturday when it meets defending state champion Pahrump Valley (16-0-2) in the title game at Heritage Park. Both teams advance to the state tournament.

“They had the resolve to keep fighting and keep working,” Crusaders coach Steve Morrill said. “We know we’re talented, but it’s about putting that ability into action and taking care of it. They showed that in the second half.”

Dani Tharaldson added a goal and an assist for Faith Lutheran, and she combined with Chinn for the winner in the 59th minute. Chinn’s left-footed shot from about 15 yards away appeared to deflect off a Tech defender and floated over the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Elena Duenas.

“They’ve been working well together the last two years,” Morrill said. “They both have strengths that offset each other.”

Alex Guzman scored on a penalty kick in the fourth minute, and Abrana Wielgosiak tapped home Guzman’s cross from the right wing to give the Roadrunners a 2-1 advantage in the 50th minute.

Tech (15-4-1) controlled play for the first 15 minutes of the second half and created two other good scoring chances, but Faith Lutheran equalized in the 55th minute as Chinn got on the end of a long ball from Emily Neighbors and tapped it past Duenas, who made 11 saves.

“The girls had a good effort today overall,” Roadrunners coach Josh Jones said. “Faith Lutheran is quick. We made mistakes, and unfortunately if you give a team like this a little bit of room, they make you pay.”

The Roadrunners, who were without two starters when they lost 9-2 to Faith Lutheran on Sept. 27, went ahead in the fourth minute as Guzman converted a penalty kick after Faith Lutheran defender Kendall Pori was penalized for a rash sliding tackle in the box.

The Crusaders answered in the 14th minute as Chinn’s one-touch pass sent in Tharaldson and the senior notched her team-best 29th goal.

“It took a while for us to adjust to where the openings were. We kept forcing the issue in certain areas of the field,” Morrill said. “We play a lot of Division I teams in the regular season. We schedule those teams to learn how to deal with adversity, and it’s starting to pay off.”

Pahrump Valley 3, Cheyenne 0 — Sydney Sladek scored two goals, and the Trojans blanked the Desert Shields.

Sladek, the state’s all-time leading scorer who is expected to sign a letter of intent with Southern California next week, scored on a free kick from 25 yards out in the 30th minute and scored off a feed from Paige Chafee in the 33rd minute.

Chafee added a goal in the 42nd minute for Pahrump.

“We played them in league so we came out a little naive like, ‘Oh, it’s just another game,’ ” Sladek said.

The Trojans’ back line, led by central defenders Alexis Smith and Alyssa Turner, silenced Cheyenne leading scorer Lesly Rodriguez. Smith was especially dominant, and Desert Shields coach Michael Knutsen sought out the senior after the game to shake her hand.

“She had a big impact on everything defensively they were doing stifling our chances tonight,” Knutsen said.

Freshman Arika Carey had 11 saves for the Desert Shields (14-4), including a stop on Gabriella Vasquez after Sladek teed her up from point-blank range.

“The bottom line is we had the best record we’ve come up with in Cheyenne history and won the first playoff game in Cheyenne history,” Knutsen said. “We’re taking steps year by year, and that’s a testament to the players and coaches.”