RIALTO — The Carter girls soccer team pushed the ball through Westminster La Quinta’s defense for most of the match, but La Quinta goalkeeper Natasha Jaramillo often was in the right position to stop the ball.
It was extremely frustrating, and the Lions had nothing to show for their efforts through the first 75 minutes of Thursday’s CIF State Division V regional semifinal match. Layla Bustamante found a way to put a ball where Jaramillo couldn’t stop it.
Bustamante had a free kick just inches outside the 18-yard box and put it in the top left corner. When that type of shot sails over the crossbar, it is frustrating and seems like a wasted opportunity.
“The wall was on the right side, so I aimed for the top left,” Bustamante said. It was her seventh goal of the season.
Yanelli Aguirre added another goal two minutes later and sent Carter to a 2-0 victory and a Saturday rematch against Ramona for the Division V regional championship match.
Carter (14-6-4) lost to Ramona by a 2-0 score last week in the CIF Southern Section’s Division 6 final. It has been a turnaround for the Lions, who had a six-game winless streak in January and were 4-5-3 at one point.
“I really didn’t have much to do with it,” Carter coach Kory Fincher said. “The girls made mental changes. It was a process and it takes time.”
Fincher made a point of deferring to his three senior captains. In addition to Bustamante, Jada Edwards and goalkeeper Kyra Montana were invited by Fincher to talk.
“We knew we had to keep trying and one would be successful,” Edwards said. “All year we have practiced like we were getting ready for a playoff game.”
All three players said the improvement has occurred because team members trust each other.
“Sometimes we see other teams argue with each other during the game,” Edwards said.
The team has a strong desire to be successful.
“Our team really wants it,” Montana said.
Montana has been playing soccer since she was four and has been a goalkeeper since she was seven.
“Nobody else wanted to do it so I stepped up. I fell in love with the position.”
