DOWNEY - The Downey High School girls' C.I.F. Division IV soccer championship team's season has come to an end at the hands of El Camino Real 1-0 in the semifinal round of the Southern California Regional Championship.The Lady Vikings finished their season with an overall record of 23-5-3 and had their 18 game unbeaten streak snapped at the hands of ECR. Alex Marquez scored the game's only goal in the 17th minute and the Lady Conquistadores made it stand after eighty minutes of play. Marquez also scored the only goal of the game for ECR in their quarterfinal round game of the Regional Championship against Buchanan on Tuesday. The Lady Vikings almost tied the game ten minutes into the second half when senior captain Krista Velasco's free kick hit the cross bar and Janeth Acuna's rebound went over the cross bar. The Lady Vikings had opportunities to score but could not put the ball in the back of the net. With the victory against Downey, El Camino Real extended their current unbeaten streak to 17 games. El Camino Real defeated Westview 0-0 (6-5 on PK's) to win the Southern California Regional Championship last Saturday at Warren High School. With the win, ECR's overall record now stands at 20-3-4 and their unbeaten streak has been extended to 18 games. The Lady Vikings finished their season has C.I.F. Division IV champions after defeating Quartz Hill 3-1 in the championship game. The Lady Vikings won their Southern California Regional quarterfinal round game against Long Beach Wilson at Downey 0-0 (4-3 on PK's) before being stopped by El Camino Real at ECR in the semifinals. Coach Godfrey is extremely proud of her team and how hard they worked throughout the season. Next year will certainly bring high expectations and with it, an even bigger bullseye on their backs. Congratulations to Coach Godfrey and her team for an excellent season.

********** Published: March 14, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 48