ROCKLIN, Calif. – The No. 2 seeded Whitney soccer team got two goals from Kiera Utush to record a 3-0 win over top-seeded St. Francis Thursday to take the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title. Both teams advance to the CIF State Northern California Regional play next week.
"The biggest difference was their intensity was fantastic," said Head Coach Maryclaire Robinson. "They won the first five balls and it took a little bit to collect ourselves and get it together. With some adjustments and rallying, we did that well."
Utush scored in the 17th minute of the first half to give the Wildcats the lead, the first time the Troubadours have trailed in the postseason. The game remained 1-0 through halftime.
Utush scored again 11 minutes into the second to extend the lead to 2-0. SF had its best chance of the day on a rocket shot off the foot of junior Taylor Earle that hit the cross bar and looked to cross the goal line. But the shot was not called a goal and Wildcats quickly got the ball up field and caught the defense compromised for a third goal.
"It was a chance to go 2-1 and that changes things with 20 minutes left," said Robinson. "We fought and had good energy. Today was not our day."
Leading 3-0 the Wildcats were able to close out the win, ending the St. Francis unbeaten streak at 12 and hand St. Francis their first loss since Jan. 11.
"We are super disappointed the game did not go the way we hoped," said senior captain Elise Urkov. "We were hoping to walk out of here with a championship."
The season is not over for the Troubadours, who clinched a berth in NorCal Regional play. Brackets are announced on Sunday with play beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
"The game was ours for taking and they pushed us out of the way and took it," said Robinson. "That is what stinks."
St. Francis dropped to 20-3-4 overall for the season.
"It is hard to think about the future (NorCals) because it hurts right now," said Urkov. "We will be back and we will rally. We will practice on Monday and get back on it."
The team will hold their team banquet Monday night at 6 p.m. before beginning NorCal play on Tuesday.
