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Huntington Beach girls’ soccer loses to rival Los Alamitos at Mater Dei tournament

Huntington Beach High’s Kayden Heinrich (13) steals the ball from Los Alamitos’ Jayden Newkirk, during the Mater Dei Premier Invitational at Orange County Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
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It is somewhat unusual for high school girls’ soccer teams from the same league to be placed in the same group in preseason tournaments.

Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos were not only both placed in Group D for the Mater Dei Premier Invitational, but the Sunset League rivals met in their very first game of the tournament on Wednesday.

Huntington Beach was shorthanded, with just three field players off the bench. But assistant coach Alex Munoz refused to use that as an excuse after the Oilers were dominated in a 2-0 loss to the Griffins at Orange County Great Park.

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Munoz said he was filling in as head coach with Raul Ruiz at a funeral. He suggested the Oilers might be resting on their laurels after last season, which saw Huntington Beach reach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals and the CIF Southern California Regional Division I title game, both for the first time in the program’s history.

“I think a lot of us are riding off of last year, and that kind of needs to change,” Munoz said. “We’re trying to piggyback off what we did last year. We just think if we show up, we’re going to win. That’s not going to work for us this year. Last year was a team that worked for everything we got, and this year we kind of feel that entitlement to not work as hard. And it’s showing.”

Huntington Beach (3-3-1), ranked No. 7 in Division 1, also reached the championship game of the Mater Dei Premier Invitational last year.

But that will be an uphill climb after the loss to No. 2 Los Alamitos (7-1-1). Freshman Tabitha LaParl and sophomore Rylie Raupp-Martin scored for the Griffins, who improved to 4-0-3 in their last seven games against the Oilers in tournaments and league play.

Huntington Beach has not beaten Los Alamitos since a 1-0 league victory on Feb. 3, 2015.

The Oilers lost key players in goalkeeper Rachel Harris and center back Katie Martinez to graduation. Harris, now at the University of Arkansas, was the 2017 Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year.

Additionally, Munoz said senior center back Brianna Barnes is out with a left knee injury. Barnes, one of three team captains along with senior midfielder Alijah Oliver and junior midfielder Anna Carleton, has an MRI scheduled for Thursday, said her mother, Nicole.

Sophomore Chloe Romney (four saves) and senior Paige Dispalatro (two saves) split time in goal against Los Alamitos. The only returning starter on the defense was junior Kekoa Nelson.

Kekoa Nelson, left, was Huntington Beach’s lone returning starter on defense on Wednesday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer )

Munoz said sophomores Summer Stewart and Maddie Phantumabamrung were both out with concussions, and junior defender Alex Lotter has a broken clavicle. Munoz said sophomore midfielder Xolani Hodel has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but she played the second half.

“We’re just banged up all the way around, but it’s not an excuse,” Munoz said.

Munoz said junior Jenna Nighswonger is not playing high school soccer this season as she plays with the U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy. Nighswonger’s 15 goals last season tied for the team lead.

Los Alamitos, which won the top division in the Aliso Cup tournament on Monday, bounced back from its first loss of the season in a nonleague game against Sunny Hills on Tuesday night.

LaParl’s goal in the 32nd minute came on a free kick, and she also set up the Griffins’ second goal after her free kick in the 54th minute.

Dispaltatro made the low save near the left post but couldn’t quite corral the ball, and Raupp-Martin scored a rebound goal.

“We’ve got a good group,” said Los Alamitos coach Patrick Rossi, adding he didn’t really mind playing a league foe so early in a tournament. “We want to play everyone. I think we’re a high-level team and so are they, so we’re going to meet up somehow.”

Huntington Beach continues with pool play Thursday, when the Oilers face Tesoro at 2 p.m. at Orange County Great Park.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo

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