When the season began, 54 high school teams had dreams of playing in the City Section girls’ soccer championships. Palisades was one of two teams that lived its dream this year, although the final chapter did not quite produce the fairytale ending the Dolphins envisioned. Palisades’ remarkable playoff run, which included upset victories over seventh-seeded Fairfax and sixth-seeded Granada Hills, ended with a 4-0 loss to defending champion El Camino Real Saturday night at East Los Angeles College. The top-seeded Conquistadores (20-3-1) took command from the opening kickoff, scoring the only goal they would need in the fifth minute on a give-and-go from leading scorer Katie Oakes to freshman Megan Quinn, who one-timed a pass over Palisades’ freshman goalie Allison Kappeyne. Oakes scored on a header in the 28th minute and Niki Connolly added a goal on a turnaround shot to increase El Camino Real’s lead to 3-0 just before halftime. The 10th-seeded Dolphins (12-8-1), making their first appearance in a City final, generated little offense in the first 40 minutes. Inspired by coach Kim Smith’s halftime speech, in which she told her players they had nothing to lose, Palisades picked up the pace in the second half and played on even terms with a team on its way to its record-tying fifth consecutive City title. Despite several early scoring chances, the Dolphins found themselves further behind when Connolly snuck behind a defender and headed a cross from Quinn into the net in the 47th minute. Palisades’ best chance to score came on an indirect free kick nine from nine yards out, but co-captain Alex Michael’s shot was blocked by a wall of ECR defenders. Co-captain Kirsten Schluter, who scored the winning goal against Granada Hills in the semifinals, provided constant pressure on the wing while Michael, fellow captain Tia Lebherz and leading scorer Lucy Miller paced Pali’s second-half attack. Diana Grubb and Madison Glantz anchored the Dolphins’ defense. Kappeyne made eight saves for Palisades.
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