Benicia High’s girls soccer team got trampled by the Manteca Lady Buffaloes, 3-0, in Thursday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinals in Manteca.

The defeat ended the season for the Lady Panthers, who finished with a 10-9 overall record. Top-seeded Manteca (23-2-1), which lost in the Section championship game in 2014 and 2015, advanced to a semifinal match-up Wednesday against No. 4 seed Vista del Lago.

The Lady Buffaloes, ranked 12th in the state, scored three goals in the first half and never let Benicia get going offensively.

“They were the superior team,” Benicia head coach Javier Martinez said of Manteca. “They have some good athletes and they scored often and early.”

Four minutes into the game, Manteca’s Leah Manuleleua sent a perfect pass to teammate Kaitlynn Funsch, who scored on a breakaway to make it 1-0. Manuleleua scored her own goal 12 minutes later, and Madison Burch made it 3-0 with a goal in the 29th minute.

“They moved the ball really well and really fast,” Martinez said. “We needed to play quicker and we did that in the second half, but it was too late by then.”

Benicia’s Alyssa Lisenko had a good scoring opportunity in the second half but her shot from 10 yards out was saved by goalkeeper Ashlee Miller, who dove to her left for a spectacular save. It was the second year in a row Benicia was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

“We had an up and down season and didn’t get on a roll until we got into league,” Martinez said. “We had a hard time getting into a rhythm of a high level of play.”

Martinez now has a decision to make. Benicia’s boys and girls soccer programs will both play in the winter next season, and Martinez has been a long-time coach of both varsity programs. Martinez also coaches the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High girls varsity soccer team, which also plays during the winter. He’ll do some reflecting before deciding who to coach next season.

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