Clovis girls, Sanger boys win in dramatic fashion to advance to regional soccer final
That was close.
The second-seeded Clovis High girls soccer team advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Division II final after defeating No. 6 Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa 6-5 in penalty kicks at Lamonica Stadium on Thursday.
It was Maxine Baker’s penalty kick goal and a missed Pumas’ shot that hit the upper right post that gave the Cougars the victory.
“Trusting the character of my girls,” Clovis coach Ian Lynch said. “The girls that stepped up and took penalties ... they picked us up all day today. I’m looking down the line and the girls are making eye contact and they were ready to step up. We got a ton of character in our locker room.”
The Cougars (19-7-5) will host No. 8 Leigh-San Jose (13-4-5) on Saturday. The match is set for 3 p.m.
Clovis looked well on its way to the regional final before the overtime frame.
The Cougars led 3-1 before Maria Carrillo scored two goals in the last five minutes, including a goal with just three seconds before the whistle.
“The reality of it is we came in together, we lost and won together,” Lynch said. “We’re going to the (regional championship) together.”
Sanger boys to play for championship
The Sanger boys prevailed in sudden death.
Michael Esparza scored a golden goal one minute into overtime, giving No. 3 Sanger a 1-0 victory over Las Lomas-Walnut Creek in a NorCal Division II semifinal match.
“This is a special team,” Sanger coach Alex Gutierrez said. “They have worked hard all year. They are determined to meet whatever challenge has been in front of them, and they have risen to it every single time.”
Esparza scored the goal when Isaiah Villalobos took a shot in front of the goalie. The shot was blocked, and Esparza took the reboundn and put the ball in the back of the net.
The Apaches (23-3-5) will host No. 5 Redwood-Larkspur (17-5-4) for the regional championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at Tom Flores Stadium.
Kingsburg falls in close game
The Kingsburg girls, seeded fourth in NorCal D-IV, traveled to the North Coast and lost 1-0 at No. 1 Branson-Ross.
The hosts scored in the 65th minute on a rebound off a great save by Brianna Vela.
Tuesday the Vikings (21-8-2) beat Ripon 2-0. Marissa Montelongo, who’s signed with Saint Mary’s for soccer and softball, scored in the fourth minute, her 30th goal of the season.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 9:07 PM.
