Burbank High star senior Kira Bochard knows that now that the CIF Southern Section playoffs have begun every game could be the last one of her career.
Tuesday afternoon Bochard came up huge for the Bulldogs in a number of ways as the Bulldogs outlasted Mayfield of Pasadena 3-1 on penalty kicks in a Division 4 wild card match at Occidental College in Eagle Rock.
The match ended in a 2-2 tie after regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.
“I’m going to do everything that I can to win for my team,’’ said Bochard, who has committed to play soccer and run track at the University of Montevallo in Alabama.
That included putting on the goalie gloves for the first time ever at the high school level to help save two penalty kicks in the shootout.
“PKs (penalty kicks) are a dreadful thing, even for professionals,” said Bochard, who said she last played goalie four years ago. “I just wanted to go out there and do what I could. I can’t believe I stopped a couple of those balls.”
Bochard scored Burbank’s final penalty kick in the shootout by putting the ball in the lower right corner past Mayfield goalie Isabella Taglioretti.
Burbank’s two other penalty kick goals were scored by Cynthia De La Cruz and Priscilla Romero, who both ironically also kicked the ball low into the right corner.
Bochard saved penalties from Mayfield’s Nadia O’Reilly and Michaela Gallo.
Burbank (6-9-4) will now face host Brentwood (13-3-1) in a first-round match Thursday.
Bochard scored a goal in the first half from a corner kick to give Burbank a 1-0 lead.
Mayfield (8-6-6) came back to score twice and take a 2-1 lead before a Danielle Yanez throw in found Isabella Palau at the back post, where her right-footed shot was able to tie match with 13 minutes to play.
“The momentum was great to get that second goal and get us back in it,” Palau said.
The win gives coach Eric Montoya a playoff victory for a second consecutive year.
“They came together as a team. They fought for each other on the field,” Montoya said. “I’ve got 12 seniors. I told them this could be your last game.”
