Pitman ties Golden Valley on late goal in CCC girls soccer opener

Rayana Plancarte knew she was one goal away from becoming the all-time leading scorer at Pitman High School. The Pride senior set the record in dramatic fashion.

Plancarte scored in the 79th minute from 45 yards out to give the Pride a 2-2 draw with undefeated Golden Valley in a Central California Conference opener Tuesday at Veterans Stadium.

“It’s a great feeling,” Plancarte said. “That goal beat the record at Pitman High. I’m not sure what my total is. I just knew I needed one goal to beat it.”

Pitman coach Cris Castro, whose team improved to 5-5-1, praised his team’s mettle.

“Our girls didn’t give up,” Castro said. “As a coach, that’s what you’re looking for at the end of the game. They kept fighting, kept fighting, kept fighting. That’s what you have to do because you never know how the ball is going to bounce.”

Plancarte came close to scoring a couple of minutes earlier, but her shot from long distance glanced off the crossbar. She didn’t miss the second time, lofting a shot that Golden Valley goalie Kristina Manilay could only watch as it sailed over her and into the net.

“Basically, I noticed the goalie had been playing higher than usual. Maybe she had more confidence,” Plancarte said. “I asked for the ball, and I took advantage of it and lofted it over her. I feel confident shooting from anywhere. I’m not afraid to take the shot.

“If I miss it, oh well. Maybe we get a corner kick if I miss. Maybe it goes in like it did. If you don’t shoot, you can’t score.”

This wasn’t the way Golden Valley (5-0-3) was looking to remain undefeated. The Cougars led twice but couldn’t protect the advantage.

“We didn’t value our lead in the last 18 minutes,” Golden Valley coach Lance Eber said. “We didn’t get the ball over the 50-yard line but twice in the last 18 minutes. But that’s CCC play. The intensity is there from the first game of the season.”

Playing with a strong wind in the first half, the Cougars opened the scoring early when Brittany Cervantes converted a corner kick from Lyah Castleberry in the ninth minute.

Golden Valley gave away a goal late in the first half when the defense failed to clear the ball deep in its territory. Manilay couldn’t gather the ball, and Pitman’s Tanner Brackett punched it in to tie the score 1-1 in the 32nd minute.

“I have three veteran defenders, and all three play club soccer,” Eber said. “They know each other’s habits. It was just missed communication. Our goalie was coming forward. She probably should have just dominated the ball over everyone else. Sometimes, the stuff you work on at practice doesn’t carry over to games.”

Lily Meza, who entered late in the first half for an injured Amenah Munoz, put the Cougars back ahead in the 56th minute. Meza fired a shot that was deflected by a Pitman defender, but Meza chased down the deflection and deposited the rebound into the goal for a 2-1 lead.

Golden Valley just couldn’t close out the final minute.

“You don’t ever want to say a tie is like a victory, but this one is,” Castro said. “Golden Valley is probably the top team in the CCC. Lance is a great coach, and he had his girls prepared. At the end, it just came down to the execution by (Plancarte), the keeper off the line and a little bit of luck. We’re fortunate to get out of here with a tie.”

Merced 3, Buhach Colony 0 in Atwater – Araceli Velazquez, Anisa Saechao and Lizette Montero scored to help the Bears open CCC play with a victory and improve to 7-2-1. Jovanna Salazar assisted on two goals.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Pitman ties Golden Valley on late goal in CCC girls soccer opener."