TORRANCE — Behind freshman midfielder Dezirae Lau’s four goals, the Torrance girls soccer team powered its way into the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
The Tartars were ahead by five goals at halftime in a one-sided duel with Bishop Amat that ended 7-0 at Zamperini Stadium Thursday.
“We played the right style of soccer,” Torrance coach Jonathan Torres said. “We wanted to overload certain parts of the field and it was drawing their entire team to the spaces we thought it would, so we were 1-v-1 on the far side every time.
“We scored three goals on diagonal balls, maybe even four. So the game plan worked and it’s the way we like to play, on the front foot.”
Torrance (16-2-3) will host Temecula Valley in Saturday’s second round.
Lau’s advantageous day began when sophomore midfielder Kaya Herndon was unable to make the squad after picking up a knock in the final game of the regular season.
Then, five minutes into her first game for Torrance in her natural position, Lau gave the Tartars the lead with a tap-in goal at the back post after the ball was allowed to trickle past by Lancers defenders.
Two two minutes later, Lau doubled her tally with a curling free-kick that beat senior goalkeeper Leilani Sanchez. The freshman midfielder went on to make it three with another finish from close range after nine minutes.
Lau said that scoring three goals in quick succession to start a playoff game felt “like a dream” and that it “didn’t feel like it was real.”
“It was nerve-racking,” Lau said. “Because (Herndon) is the MVP and I know she has a lot of goals so I have to fill that role and it was like ‘Well I don’t know if I can do that’ but I’m going to go out there and try my best.”
With goals from midfielders Kaya Choi and Kennedy Turner, Torrance took a 5-0 lead into halftime.
The best chance for Bishop Amat was a loose ball opportunity in front of the Tartars net that was cleared off the goal line twice.
Torrance goalkeeper Vanessa Imoh made two other saves to keep the shutout intact in the team’s 11th consecutive win.
“I just want to make sure I can do my job and keep the ball out of the net,” Imoh, a volleyball player turned-goalkeeper this season who’s never played soccer before, said. “I’m playing for the first time, and every time my teammates score I’m like ‘OK now I have to show up and make sure I’m there for everything.’”
Junior defender Chandler Young opened the scoring in the second half for Torrance and later Lau made it seven goals, with her fourth of the day.
In other playoff action Thursday
PALOS VERDES 2, ALISO NIGUEL 1: Maddy Herniter and Gemma Pappas scored for the Sea Kings in the DIvision 1 win. PV will host Troy Saturday
SOUTH TORRANCE 2, RIVERSIDE POLY 1: Logan Wilson and Gloria Michael scored for the Spartans in their Division 2 win.
CHADWICK 4, SCHURR 0: Avery Ertman scored two goals and Amma Melton and Wrigley Zbszewski scored one apiece for the Dolphins in the Division 5 win.