SO. SECTION DIVISION II: CANYON DELUGE SWAMPS Q.H. REBELS' DEFENSE BREAKS IN THE END CANYON 4, QUARTZ HILL 0.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Its strength is on the defensive end, and Quartz Hill High even replenished the ranks to keep Canyon's offensive diversity in check.

For 60 minutes in Tuesday night's Southern Section Division II girls' soccer playoff game, the Rebels' tactics worked. They'd played the third-seeded Cowboys to a scoreless tie and were a brilliant Lyndsay Taylor save away from the brink of an upset.

But in five minutes Quartz Hill didn't have an answer for, the opportunistic Cowboys turned a defensive match on swampy ground into a refreshing mud bath. The 4-0 victory propelled the Cowboys into Thursday's quarterfinals against Canyon of Anaheim.

In slippery field conditions, Quartz Hill (12-7-2) decided to play just one forward and mark up with more players toward the back of the field. The quickness of Canyon (20-1) created chances in the first half, but the clogged penalty area and effective goalkeeper play by Quartz Hill senior Amy Gold made for narrow shooting angles.

``We had way too many shots on goal and they just weren't going in,'' Canyon co-coach Lubna Bakoo said. ``We were pretty much kicking it to the keeper, and we had to keep it on the ground.''

Quartz Hill was far more active when it possessed the ball in the second half, taking more shots in the first 15 minutes than it had the previous 40. Senior Mandi Heins had the best chance when her attempt skipped low to Taylor's left. One of the region's best goalkeepers made a diving stop to preserve the scoreless tie.

But just when the Rebels' senior-dominated back row seemed poised to at least get them to overtime, Canyon junior Christine Chapman's accuracy exposed even the most stingy of defensive units.

On a free kick from an angle on the left side, Chapman's low-trajectory try had little chance to be successful among Gold, teammates and a packed-in Rebels defense. But the ball somehow tucked itself inside the left post in the 65th minute.

``It seemed like everybody just looked at it and were like, `Wow. It's going in,' '' Chapman said. ``Once we scored, I feel (Quartz Hill) kind of gave up and maybe they changed their whole thought of the game and their focus.''

Whatever the reason, the goals that were so scarce before came in bunches. Within a minute of the first score, McKenzie Hill's shot banged off the right post but to Shannon Omahen for an easy goal. Omahen scored another two minutes later. And Sarah Owens' late header matched the 4-0 final when the teams met in the season opener.

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Photo:

Quartz Hill goalkeeper Amy Gold, right, can't prevent Canyon's Sarah Owens, center, from knocking the ball into the net for the game's final goal.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News