Simi Valley Girls’ Soccer Win Upheld

Marmonte League officials voted unanimously Wednesday to uphold the outcome of a girls’ soccer match between Simi Valley and Royal highs after a Southern Section official had declared the outcome invalid.

Principals from league schools voted, 5-0, to allow Simi Valley to keep its 3-1 victory over Royal in a match that started Jan. 5 and was continued Jan. 7. Simi Valley and Royal did not vote.

Cal Houston, the Ventura County liaison for the Southern Section, declared the three overtime periods played Jan. 7 invalid and ruled the match a tie based on a national high school federation rule.

The rule states that a soccer match may not be continued on another day and that the score at the time the match was called stands as the final.

After 80 minutes of regulation play Jan. 5 had ended in a 1-1 tie, the match was called because of darkness.

The principals, athletic directors and coaches from both schools, unaware of the national rule, agreed to finish the match two days later.

“Because of the gentlemen’s agreement, the (league officials) agreed unanimously to keep the result of the game as it was,” Simi Valley Principal David Ellis said.

The Southern Section will honor the league’s decision, according to Karen Hellyer, the administrator in charge of soccer.

The win improved Simi Valley’s record to 17-2-1, 6-1-1 in league play; Royal fell to 16-5-1, 5-3-0.