Reign win behind promoted Kuemper and SBVC women’s soccer loses title on PKs

ONTARIO – The Ontario Reign took advantage of two of many Bakersfield Condor penalties and scored two power play goals to win, 2-1, Sunday night at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

In addition, goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper saved 35 of 36 shots, many of them with the Reign down a man.

“Tonight they had some shots from the outside and (Kuemper) came up big for us,” coach Jason Christie said after the game about his netminder. “He’s a focused kid and that’s number one here.”

Christie added he is pleased with the way the team has been playing as of late.

“At the end of the day these guys battle hard,” he said. “We just got to keep getting better and better. It’s such a tight division. We just got to concentrate on what we can do ourselves.”

In addition, he said the team needs to cut down on its own penalties.

“That’s the thing where we need to make sure we simplify our game – we’re focused and we do it easy,” he said.

Ontario scored its first goal just five minutes into the game when forward Matt Tassone took a rebound off the Condor goalkeeper and got it past him. Pat Bowen and Kyle Kraemer were credited with assists.

After a scoreless second period, the Reign made it 2-0 when Geoff Irwin scored unassisted seven minutes into the third period.

SO, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD for Kuemper? Well, he was named Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Nov. 21 through 27. The 21-year-old was 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .961 save percentage. Kuemper stopped 38 shots in a 4-2 win at Bakersfield on Saturday.

Kuemper improved to 7-1-0 with the Reign this season on Sunday and climbed into the ECHL lead with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. He held opponents to two or fewer goals in seven of his eight starts and won five consecutive games to begin the season

before absorbing his first loss, 3-1, to the Thunder on Nov. 19.

Drafted in the sixth round (161st overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native went 2-1-0 in a brief four-game call up to the AHL’s Houston Aeros – affiliate of the Minnesota Wild – at the end of the 2009-10 season.

THINGS THEN GOT EVEN BETTER for Kuemper. As I missed my interview with him after Sunday’s game because he was getting routine treatment (Reign PR guru Laura Tolbirt GUARANTEED me I would have a chance to talk to him later), Kuemper learned on Monday he was being promoted back to the Aeros.

So much for my interview (thanks Laura!), but I wish the rookie all the luck in the world!

IN COLLEGE WOMEN’S SOCCER, the San Bernardino Valley College squad recently took its SoCal Regional’s run to the end. Unfortunately, that end was bitter sweet as the team fell to the 11th seeded Cypress Chargers, 2-1.

Much like last year, SBVC took the Chargers to the brink, after 90 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtimes, it was time for penalty kicks once again. SBVC took a 1-0 lead on a corner kick from sophomore defender Breanne Dominguez, which was throttled into the back of the net by sophomore defender Coral Castillo with 5:44 left in the first half. It was Castillo’s first goal of the season and each team went into halftime with SBVC up, 1-0.

The game was locked in a stalemate for the next 48 minutes, as each team looked to take an advantage and could not find a flaw. Then, with 2:10 left in the game, Dominguez slide tackled a Chargers midfielder just inside of the keeper’s box, creating a one-on-one matchup between the Chargers and starting SBVC goal keeper Jennifer Keats. The penalty kick attempt was successful for the Chargers and they equalized the score at 1-1.

SBVC remained offensive minded throughout the remaining moments of the second half, moving everyone forward, an opportunity arrived and sophomore forward Mariela Ortega took a close range shot that just missed the cross bar high.

A few minutes into the overtime period, it appeared that Cypress had scored again, but the head referee called an off-sides penalty on the Chargers and nullified the goal. At the end of the second overtime period, the Chargers switched keepers; with SBVC going first it was an interesting switch.

SBVC’s first attempt, by Ortega missed high, but the Chargers scored, then freshman forward Maddy Horan took a shot that missed, with a chance to win the game the Chargers shooter missed.

On to a third round, freshman defender Diana Hernandez capitalized, tying the PK’s at 1-1, while the Cypress shooter missed. In the fourth round, freshman midfielder Ariel Hernandez pounded a shot into the back of the net giving SBVC the chance to win, if they could stop Cypress and score one more time, the Chargers attempt was blocked by Keats.

Leaving a return trip to the State Finals upon the shoulders of freshman forward Ivana Ramirez and Keats, but the Cypress keeper had to make the save of the game to prevent SBVC from going back. Now it was up to Keats to make the stop, and the Chargers faked Keats one way and kicked the ball the other way, tying the PK’s at 2-2.

Next up for SBVC was sophomore defender Haily Moore who had her shot blocked leaving the game in the hands of Cypress, who scored their third penalty kick goal to secure the win for the 11th seeded Chargers.

Shel Segal is president of Arcadia, Calif.-based Segal Communications and a columnist for the Fontana (Calif.) Herald News. He can be reached at ssegal@segalcomm.net.

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