Vera's penalty kick puts Noll in semis

MUNSTER -- It was the birthday celebration that Bishop Noll coach Lorenza Jara was looking for -- and the gift her team gave her wasn't bad, either. The team wrapped up the gift and Gina Vera delivered it as she nailed a game-winning penalty kick with just more than 10 minutes to play in the game.

The 1-0 victory over Morton propelled the Warriors into a meeting with Munster on Thursday in the semifinals.

"I told them that the best birthday gift that they could give me was a victory," Jara said.

And Vera and the Warriors (11-3-2) came through.

"I was very nervous before the kick because I didn't think I was going to take it at first, Vera said. "But once I knew, I just put my mind to it and did what I had to do."

A tough, well-played game by both teams came down to a judgment call -- an ill-advised one if you ask Morton coach Ken Anderson. The penalty was called by the head referee late in the game after similar plays throughout didn't result in similar outcomes.

Both teams had their opportunities to score multiple times only to come up short at the end. The goalkeepers of both squads held their own with Bishop Noll's Silvia Cuevas pitching a shutout with eight saves. Morton's Gabriela Ramirez blocked 10 shots of her own.

A highly disappointed Anderson was hoping for a better fate after drawing to a 2-2 regular-season outcome with Noll.

"If you know anything about soccer, the referees don't decide the game, they just don't," Anderson said. "There should have been a PK three different times for us. Both teams played as hard as they could possibly play and it's unfortunate it came down to that."

Jara also would have liked to see the game end with a game-action goal, but she's not going to giver her "gift" back.

"You never want a game to end in a PK, but I was happy by all means," Jara said. I do think the call wan an accurate call."

In the first five minutes of the game, Morton's Christina Ramirez dribbled deep into the Warriors box and was taken down by the sweeper from behind and no call was made. The difference was the positioning of the center referee at the time.

In the other quarterfinal game it was all Munster as the Mustangs easily eliminated Gavit 9-0. Junior forward Jessica Goodrich got Munster (10-6-1) off to a good start with a goal in the fifth minute and never let up as she contributed with three assists getting her teammates involved with the scoring.

Following a disappointing end to the regular season, a loss to Lowell last Thursday, the Mustangs were looking to get back on the winning track. Goals came easy and often helping Val Pflum's squad regain some confidence heading into the semifinals.

"We just came out and played out game and we wanted to fix a few things after the Lowell game," Pflum said.

Eleni Agelopoulos had two goals and two assists for Munster as Jenna Pagane matched her goals as well.