Heritage girls soccer team advances in Regionals, 5-0

Kaila Castellanos and Lexie Jimenez scored two goals each and Zoey Romero scored another one Tuesday night as the Heritage High School girls soccer team defeated host Banning 5-0 in the first round of the CIF State Southern Regionals.

Castellanos opened the scoring with a goal off an assist by Jimenez. About 10 minutes later, Jimenez took a long kick from goalkeeper Brisa Quiroz and beat several Banning defenders down the field to score. The Patriots led 2-0 at halftime.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Jimenez raced 70 yards to score her second goal. A few minutes later, Castellanos scored again off a pass from Leah Hareu. The fifth goal was scored by Romero off an assist by Castellanos.

“Heritage controlled the match from the beginning,” said Patriots coach Michael Mattison. “We scored a goal in the first minute which was negated by offsides, but it was clear Heritage could play aggressively.

“It was a great night by Lexie and Kaila. Danica Doskocil, Zoey Romero and Anastacia Martinez really controlled the middle of the field defensively and offensively.”

Heritage improved its record to 19-9-1 and will play at La Mirada (14-9-3) in the Regional semifinals Thursday at 5 p.m. La Mirada advanced with a 1-0 victory over Eagle Rock. Banning High of Wilmington finished its season with a 24-7 record.

The Patriots earned a spot in the Regionals with a runner-up finish in the CIF Southern Section Division V finals last Friday. Viewpoint – the team that defeated Heritage 2-1 in that game – was eliminated from the Regionals Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to Santa Maria.