Gorman falls to Monte Vista in shootout

Zack Hall

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999 | 10:16 a.m.

The Bishop Gorman girls soccer team went into the fourth annual Lady Devils Soccer Classic with the mindset to win, but instead the Gaels settled for four more games of experience for the upcoming Sunset Zone schedule.

Gorman was upended in the tournament's third-place game Tuesday by Monte Vista (Calif.) High School 4-3 in a shootout after playing to a 0-0 regulation tie.

The loss dropped the Gaels to 2-1-1 in the four-game tournament held at Eldorado High School.

"If you win it that's great," said Gorman coach Victor Arvaelez. "If you don't, that's fine, you get four games of experience.

"Don't get me wrong, we want to win. But the more games we have like this that we'll go through, the only thing it can do is make us a better team."

The penalty kicks added an exciting touch to an otherwise uneventful game.

After both teams knocked in their first two attempts, Mustangs goalie Jessica Blake stuffed the Gaels' third try. Monte Vista followed with its third consecutive goal for a 3-2 lead after three rounds.

Blake stopped the Gaels' fourth try to add to the Mustangs' advantage. But Gaels goalie Danielle Ghaffari kept Gorman in the game with a save on the following Monte Vista try.

In the fifth and final round, the Mustangs' Courtney Nelson kicked the game-winning goal past a diving Ghaffari.

But it was the experience of playing tough California teams that the Gaels will try to use for the zone season that begins Thursday.

"We (tried some new things)," Arvaelez said. "That probably cost us a chance at the championship game. It's all a learning process."

Tournament organizer and Eldorado coach Gerald Pentsil intended to give Southern Nevada teams experience against some more competitive teams from California.

"I started this tournament because there is a big winter break and I didn't like my team sitting around without any workouts," Pentsil said. "There are only a few teams in the valley that can play at the gold (more competitive) level in this tournament and Gorman is one of them."