EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 27, 2021 Page 11
Eagles from page 3
The Eagles make their first CIF Southern
Section Division 4 finals appearance and will
travel to top-seeded Dan Dimas on Friday
at 5 p.m.
The game was hotly contested between
two physical teams that traded barbs and
penalties throughout the contest. The Tartans
broke the scoreless game at 7:35 of the first
half when Julia Olosky scored on a free kick
from 20 yards away.
The Tartans had plenty of scoring opportunities
in the second half, but the Eagles
made plays to thwart a score. After a scoring
Annika Klishevich battles St. Margaret’s Kayla Gerayli for a loose ball during the Eagle’s thrilling win. The Eagles mob Trinity Parascandola after she makes her penalty kick that gave El Segundo the 3-2 win and sends the Eagles to the CIF-SS finals.
attempt by the Eagles’ Jaden Fode, the Tartans
reversed the field with a long pass, and
Olosky scored another goal for a 2-0 lead
with about ten minutes remaining.
El Segundo ramped up their urgency and
hounded Tartan goalie Riley Long. Bella Munoz
sent one attempt just high over the goal,
and Chelsie Charles’ attempt was stopped.
Trinity Parascandola, Michaela Turner, and
Annika Klishevich controlled the mid-field
area and, in one exchange, got the ball to
Charles, who pounded a 15-yard attempt that
scooted in for a score.
With the Eagles trailing 2-1 going into
stoppage time, the Eagles found a way to
keep the ball near the Tartan goal. With
thirty seconds left, the Eagles caught a break
in stoppage time and had a corner kick.
Parascandola sent the ball perfectly in front
of the goal where a scrum of players from
both teams vied for it with headers. Bella
Munoz was in the middle and came away
with a shot attempt that got by the Tartan
goalie to tie the game at 2-2.
The game went into double overtime and
then decided on penalty kicks. The Eagles got
goals from Chelsie Charles, Ciera Doggett,
Heredia Barcelona, and Natacha Lee. Eagle
goalie Nili Kovacs had made one save, and
it came down to a final attempt by Parascandola.
She sent her offering to the center-left
that took the Tartan goalie by surprise. Long
made a valiant effort to save the ball from
getting in but could not stop the historic
winning goal. It set off a celebration on the
field and in the stands and had head coach
Skip Jones wiping tears.
Afterward, Coach Jones was savoring
the win while his team was rejoicing their
fourth consecutive improbable playoff win.
“I’m so happy for them (pointing to his team
celebrating). They have worked so hard and
never gave up.”
Trinity Parascandola, who kicked in the
game-winner, said of her winning goal, “I
wanted to make sure I hit it solid, and when
it rolled in, I knew we made history.”
The Eagles make their first CIF Southern
Section Division 4 finals appearance and will
travel to top-seeded San Dimas on Saturday.
Basketball Team Runs the Table
to Win Pioneer League
It’s been quite a week for head coach Dave
March’s team. With the Eagle’s 57-43 win
over South Torrance at home and 73-42 win
at Lawndale, the El Segundo Eagles finished
their Pioneer League season undefeated at
10-0. It was the first time since 2003 they
had won a league title and the first time the
Eagles had gone undefeated in league play
since the 1967 team did it on their way to
a 34-1 record overall.
The Eagles defeated South Torrance in their
final home game before the CIF Southern
Section Division 3A playoffs. It was a game
they needed to win to secure a Pioneer League
championship, and they didn’t disappoint. They
sped to a 7-0 lead, and Leo Cagan’s second
three-pointer made it 15-8. The ball-handling
skills and shooting of CJ Hardy extended the
lead to 24-13 heading into the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Eagles stretched their
lead to 21 points, but the Spartans wouldn’t
bow to El Segundo’s pressure on the defense.
With 6:40 left in the fourth quarter, Gavin
Fisher connected on a three-pointer to cut
South’s deficit to 53-39. The Eagles would
hold on and go on to win, and in the process,
make history.
The game at Lawndale started off with
excitement as the Lawndale Cardinals were
fired up to upset the Eagles on their Senior
Night. El Segundo had other ideas and came
ready to play with their different defensive
schemes and hot three-point shooting. The
Eagles were up 16-9 after the first quarter
and extended their lead to 34-17 at the half.
CJ Hardy Taylor paced the Eagles with 14
first-half points. Jesse Gutierrez came off the
bench to spark the second-quarter run. He hit
two key three-pointers and led the defense
with his energy and toughness.
The second half was more of the same
story as the Eagles extended their lead to 52-
28 after the third quarter and went on to win
73-42. CJ Hardy finished with 25 points, and
Preston Engel had
19 points to pace the Eagles. Leo Cagan
and Gideon Telahun, along with junior center
JJ Chaikowsky were instrumental in the
historic win.
The Eagles opened their CIF Southern Section
Division 3A playoff run last night against
Ayala, and a win would send them to play at
Charter Oak on Friday night.
Girls Basketball Advances
to CIF Playoffs
The Eagles finished their regular season with
a win at Lawndale, and with it, they’ll advance
to the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA
playoffs. They open their playoff run tonight
at Pioneer High School. A win would most
likely earn them a home game on Saturday
night at 7 p.m.
Baseball Team Splits
with South Torrance
The Eagles needed to sweep the rest of
their scheduled Pioneer League games against
South Torrance and Lawndale to have a grip
on the CIF Southern Section playoffs that
start next week. Unfortunately, they split with
South going into the final week of the season
against Lawndale.
Eagle starter Jake Stolnack turned in another
solid performance and tossed his fourth complete
game of the season. This time he gave
up three runs (two earned) in El Segundo’s 5-3
win over South Torrance. Stolnack scattered
four hits and struck out a season-high seven
batters while walking just one. El Segundo’s
four-run fourth inning was highlighted by
Kenny Chung’s homerun, and the Eagles held
on for the win.
Chung took the mound for the Eagles in
the second game against South. He had some
control issues and ended up being replaced in
the fifth inning of the Eagle’s 4-2 loss. The
Spartans threatened to score in the second inning,
but Chung got out of a bases-loaded jam by
striking out Ryan Ley. In the third inning, Josh
Monarrez hit a solo home run to give South a
1-0 lead. In the fifth, the Spartans capitalized
on back-to-back RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, El Segundo scored a run
when Brendan McAndrews singled and later
scored on a fielder’s choice. The Spartans would
score a run in the seventh inning to make it
4-1. Dylan Immel clobbered a solo home run
in the bottom of the seventh to make it 4-2.
The Eagles rebounded with a 2-0 win
over Grace Brethren. Lloyd Sapanza threw
a complete game, three hitter, with nine
strikeouts. The only scoring came in the
fourth inning on RBI singles by Kenny
Chung and Dylan Immel.
The Eagles finish their regular season today
on the road against Lawndale.
Girls Lacrosse Having
their Best Season
The Eagles have their best season ever,
having won the Ocean League and sporting a
program-best 12-4 record. Heading into Saturday’s
first-round game against Woodbridge
(Irvine), they have outscored their opponents
212-110. Syd Moeller leads the scoring with
62 goals, while Grace Bonny has poured in
48 goals. The Eagles host the Warriors on
Saturday at 10:00 a..m. in the first-ever CIF
Southern Section Lacrosse playoffs. •
The Eagles completed the first undefeated regular and Pioneer League schedule since the 1966-67 team accomplished the feat. Photo
by Ralf Stier.
J.J. Chaikovsky helped lead the Eagles to their first Pioneer League
title in 18 years. Photo by Ralf Stier.
CJ Hardy goes in for two of his game-high 19 points against South
Torrance to clinch the Pioneer League title. Photo by Ralf Stier.