Price finished with seven goals. The last one caused Western (9-3) to celebrate and a firestorm on the Costa Mesa side.
During a timeout after the goal, assistant coach Justin Taylor walked over to one of the officials. He contested the goal.
Taylor not only saw the goal cost the Mustangs (11-7) a victory over the No. 3-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division VII coaches’ poll, but it eventually led to his dismissal.
An official tossed Taylor for arguing.
Taylor disputed that Price was fouled inside the five-meter area, making her quick shot afterward illegal.
“If they fouled her outside the five [meter area], she can shoot that free pass,” Luethke said. “That wasn’t really what we played for, but that was the position she was put in.
“She’s the team captain, the senior, and led the group the whole way, no real mystery that she scores a lot of goals for us.”
To Costa Mesa, Price was sort of an unknown.
When asked whether the Mustangs knew coming into Thursday that Price was the Pioneers’ top player, Briana Williams said, “not really.”
The Mustangs got to know Price really well in the second half.
Costa Mesa led, 6-5, at halftime. Senior Ashley Rendon, with 5:32 left in the third period, extended the Mustangs’ advantage to two goals with one of her five goals in the match.
This is when Price turned it on. She recorded three goals during the Pioneers’ 4-1 run in the third, giving Western a 9-7 lead.
“I just felt that we didn’t play well in certain situations,” Costa Mesa Coach Tim Postiff said. “On our six-on-five [power-play advantages] we could not convert. They were just rushing their shots. I think we were [zero] for five.
“We made some mistakes defensively that allowed them to get some easy goals.”
