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MISSION VIEJO — San Clemente’s girls soccer players prayed, swayed and sang before taking the pitch Tuesday night to settle a score with Capistrano Valley.
It didn’t take long for the Tritons’ pregame ritual to look brilliant.
Center midfielder Elle Schotemeyer scored less than two minutes into the South Coast League match by putting the final touch on a swift counterattack.
The heroics of goalie Reese Tremper helped make the goal stand as the winner and San Clemente edged two-time defending South Coast League champion Capistrano Valley 1-0 in a clash of Orange County Top 10 teams at Saddleback College.
“We were super-ready to play,” said Schotemeyer, who scored her third goal of the season for No. 8 San Clemente (11-1-3, 2-0-1). “We all got hyped up. Came on the bus, played music. And as soon as we got on (the pitch), we just super-high pressed and just went for it.”
San Clemente’s Celia Mann shifted the counterattack into high gear by unleashing a shot from just outside the penalty that Capistrano Valley goalie Dylan Aguilar jumped to knock down.
But as the ball bounced on the turf, Tritons forward Payton Fitch pressured and kicked it loose for Schotemeyer to score early in the showdown.
“I don’t think we have ever scored that early,” said Schotemeyer, one of the Tritons’ captains. “We’ve scored in the first five (minutes), first 10 (minutes), but that was pretty early for us. I feel like it made us even more pumped and ready to play.”
Ranked No. 7 in Orange County, Capistrano Valley (6-3-2, 1-1-0) posted a 1-0 victory against San Clemente in a division final of the Best in the West tournament on Dec. 20.
The Tritons played that match without Tremper, who made her presence felt Tuesday just before halftime.
The senior rushed from her goal and made a sliding save against Capistrano Valley forward Ella Brinkerhoff, sending three players tumbling to the turf.
It was the Cougars’ lone shot of the match.
“We had a close call there and she had a great touch onto the box,” said Tremper, who is a committed to Villanova. “I had to come off my line and then go down to the ground and get on that ball.”
Tremper missed the teams’ previous match because she was in Arizona with the San Clemente basketball team for the Nike Tournament of Champions.
After the soccer match Tuesday, Tremper dashed from the pitch to join the basketball team for a game at San Juan Hills.
“We’re all just, ‘Wow, there she goes. Off to the next one,” Schotemeyer said of Tremper. “I think she manages her time really well.”
San Clemente also received strong play from defenders Sophie Thorstenson, Jayden Smythers and Chloe Miller.
Capistrano Valley coach Jason Sorrell praised Tremper’s play but came back to the Tritons’ early strike.
“We got beat in the first 90 seconds,” he said. “After that, I think it was fairly even.”
“Hopefully that will motivate us for the next one,” the coach added.