Benicia High’s girls soccer team had its season come to an end after a 4-0 loss to top-seeded East Union in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinals last Thursday night in Manteca.

Benicia, seeded eighth in the tournament and coming off an overtime victory over No. 9 Ceres in the opening round, trailed only 1-0 at halftime but got worn down in the second half by East Union, which improved to 18-0 this year and is ranked fifth in the state.

“The girls played with a lot of heart,” Benicia head coach Javier Martinez said of his Lady Panthers, who finished with a 12-7-2 overall record. “The other team was very good. Their ranking is not misleading. They’re very well organized.”

The Lady Panthers appeared to take a 1-0 lead in the opening half when Sara Hingley scored on a breakaway, but Benicia was whistled for offsides on the play and the goal was nullified.

“That was a momentum shifter,” Martinez said.

East Union sophomore Ilena Rivera scored in the 26th minute by dribbling between two Benicia defenders. Rivera added another goal in the second half – her 35th goal of the season.

“She’s the real deal and will be a player to be reckoned with at the next level,” Martinez said of Rivera.

Benicia’s defense held up in the first half with senior Kaela Thyrion anchoring the middle, but Thyrion – who missed the first-round game with Ceres due to an illness – became sick as the game wore on and sat out the second half. East Union took advantage, scoring three times to put the game away.

“Not having her on the defensive line made a big difference,” Martinez said.

Katie Lovelace was still bothered by an ankle injury suffered in overtime against Ceres and was ineffective. Teammates Carly Castellano and Alyssa Lisenko were also slowed by ankle injuries.

Despite the season-ending defeat, Martinez was proud of everything his Lady Panthers accomplished during the year.

“The girls had a successful season, winning league for the eighth straight time and winning in the first round of the playoffs,” Martinez noted. “I’m proud of the way we finished the season.”

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