The 30 matches comprising the road to Heart Health Park in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Playoffs have come to an end, with two squads claiming championship banners for their schools in last Thursday’s finals.
The contests brought an end to what was a thrilling tournament. Four matches were decided by penalty shootout, seven teams upended higher seeded opponents, and 14 matches were won by one score or less. In the end, The Whitney Wildcats lifted their first-ever section banner on the Boys side, while the Oak Ridge Trojans successfully defended their 2020 title on the Girls side.
Oak Ridge 8 – 1 Lincoln (Stockton)
The Girls match saw Oak Ridge pull ahead early in their second straight section championship game, going up 1-0 just seven minutes in. However, their Stocktonian opposition fought back to pull even – senior forward Kaitlyn Garcia would tie things up at one in the 22nd minute after she broke away from an Oak Ridge back line playing high and beat the opposing goalkeeper.
After Lincoln pulled even, Oak Ridge wasn’t fazed. The tournament’s top-seeded team took control of the match, finding the net three times on an impressive long-range shot from Emily Lieber, a score from senior Iman Mustafa and Gabby Marsh’s second to close out the half. Four additional scores from the El Dorado Hills side in the second half – including a third for Marsh – would set a new record for goals in a section championship match and allow them to lift their second straight banner after winning in 2020.
“This is a great building block for the program, to win the section title in consecutive years,” said Oak Ridge Head Coach Rino Chimienti. “I’m very proud of my players for what they have accomplished, and to do it here at Heart Health Park creates memories that they will all remember forever.”
Whitney 5 – 0 Modesto
Whitney set the tone for the Boys contest early on, showing incredible pace and precision on the attack. Not a minute after the opening whistle, the Wildcats’ Daniel Yoon found the net for the Rocklin side, however, he was flagged for offside keeping things scoreless. Whitney would eventually draw first blood for real later on, when forward Brayden Goularte buried a free kick from just outside the penalty area in the back of the net for his first of three scores on the night. Yoon eventually got his redemption, putting one in five minutes before the break to put his side up 2-0.
Whitney continued their excellent form in the second half, dominating in possession to keep opportunities from Modesto to a minimum. The Panthers showed flashes of excellence – Junior Alexis Luna broke lines with ease on the attacking end, but was unable to convert with the opposing defense zeroed in on him the entire match. Whitney deflected threat after threat from the central valley side, and would find the net twice more before the final whistle securing the Wildcats their first-ever section championship.
