IRVINE — Portola girls soccer coach Sam Ezratty expected a defensive battle in the team’s CIF-SS Division 2 second-round game against Crean Lutheran on Saturday.
The Bulldogs were able to get a first-half goal from Taylor Strickland and rode their defense to a 1-0 victory at Portola High.
Portola (11-3-5) will host San Marino on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the quarterfinals.
“We knew they were strong on defense,” Ezratty said. “We knew we were strong on defense. So kind of thought it was gonna be a battle back and forth. But set plays all year have been kind of the key for us. And we’ve got, you know, Aliyah (Padilla-Sanders) that can hit them from the corner. And so, just happy to have gotten one in.:
Padilla-Sanders took a corner kick in the 14th minute that the Saints were unable to clear from the penalty area. A header by Corbyn Cosenza went to Portola’s Brielle Chow, who was able to get her right knee on the ball as Strickland made her move away from the scramble of players to get a right-footed shot by Kate Nourse.
Portola’s Keleila Brannan, left and Taylor Strickland each made big contributions in the Bulldogs’ 1-0 victory over Crean Lutheran in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (Photo by David Delgado)“Taylor is just such a scrappy player that she finds a way to just get away from her defender,” Ezratty said. “And she’s just a player that’s so special and she just can find a way to knock it in.”
“It was just, like, a reaction. I wasn’t thinking,” Strickland said. “And this morning, I was practicing on that exact goal. I saw a spot and I just kind of volleyed it in.”
The Saints (6-4-7) became more aggressive in the second half and had several chances at an equalizing goal but were unable to get the ball past goalie Keleila Brannan.
“Our defense is so solid and, you know, time after time, they find a way to get the shut out,” Ezratty said. “We have an all-star sophomore goalkeeper that just finds a way to keep the ball out of the back of the net.”
Crean Lutheran forward Katelynn Welch had a close-range attempt in stoppage time but she was unable to get a solid foot on the ball and her shot went over the crossbar.
“My heart stopped for a second there when Katelynn, I mean, she normally puts those things away,” Crean Lutheran coach Stephen Jennings said. “But, you know, after working as hard as she did, never coming off the field, those are the moments where you have to mentally be able to take over and not let your body do it, ’cause everyone’s exhausted.”
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