MidValleySports.Com

Ashley Gaspar takes aim at goal.

(Sierra Madre) – In the wild-card round of the Girls CIF Soccer playoffs, La Salle shutdown Westridge 2-0 to advance to first round play against La Mirada on Thursday afternoon.

Constant pressure by the Lancers early paid dividends in the 26^th minute when Samantha Whitehead lobbed a header past goalkeeper Cornell Banta to open up the scoring.

The play never developed after a serious of back and forth pinball action from both teams which ended up benefitting a streaking Whitehead who won a fifty-fifty ball in the air. Whitehead collided with Banta as she made contact with the ball that fluttered over the goalies hands.

Later in the half, Whitney Tashiro iced the game with a penalty kick goal. The kick was awarded after Tashiro and Banta met violently inside the penalty box with Banta being called for the foul.

La Salle controlled the game for the better part of the first half, with many scoring chances either going wide or being saved by Banta. Ashley Gasper had to incredible chances early in the opening minutes only to have a defender block the shot away from goal.

The Tigers had a few chances on counter-attacks in the first half also, with Julia Matthiessien being the target forward. Any chance was quickly snuffed out by the Lancer defense and goalie Cassidy Rey.

With Westridge down by two goals, the attack in the second favored the Tigers with many chances coming in the final 25 minutes of the game. None larger than Whitney White’s shot that got by Rey but found the left post to stay out with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.

It was the best opportunity Westridge would have to stop Rey’s bid at a clean slate.

Tashiro's PK puts the Lancers up 2-0.