Original article by Nathan Mollet, San Mateo Daily Journal
By Nathan Mollat, Daily Journal Staff | Mar 2, 2020
SAN JOSE — There was not an appreciable difference between the South City girls’ soccer team and Santa Cruz in the Central Coast Section Division II championship game Saturday afternoon.
The difference, however, was the Cardinals taking advantage of their two best scoring chances as third-seeded Santa Cruz scored once in each half to post a 2-0 win over the fourth-seeded Warriors at Del Mar High School.
“It was a tough one,” said South City head coach Brian Mansell. “I think both teams were a little fatigued. We just played two overtime games in the last week.”
Despite making it to the section finals, the Warriors season comes to an end with the loss as they did not receive an invitation to the Northern California tournament.
A banged up squad and a short bench forced the Warriors to conserve as much energy as possible, but South City (16-4-2) had a tough time dealing with Santa Cruz’s speed and it was that speed that resulted in both Cardinals’ goals.
South City didn’t have a lot of scoring chances, but the Warriors came up empty when it mattered the most. The first came in the third minute of the game when Jiselle Jimenez appeared to knock home a rebound off a shot from Bianca Rodriguez that was bobbled by the Santa Cruz goalkeeper.
But the assistant referee ruled Jimenez was offside, negating the goal.
The disallowed goal loomed even larger when Santa Cruz (16-3-5) scored six minutes later, a goal that would stand. Summer Laskey made a long run down the right sideline with a defender in her wake. She sent a cross to the far left post where it found an unmarked Jaden Moore, who buried a header for a 1-0 Santa Cruz lead.
The Cardinals would go on to out-shoot the Warriors in the first half, 7-2, and for the game, 15-7. If not for the play of South City goalkeeper Jianna Nabung, the final score could have been a lot worse. Nabung, a sophomore, finished 11 saves, including several of the spectacular kind.
“To me, she was the player of the game,” Mansell said.
South City had a couple chances to tie the game in the first half, but could not convert. In the 16th minute, Fatima Waldo-Garcia intercepted a sloppy clearance ball from Santa Cruz goalkeeper Victoria Jones. But her clean look from 25 yards out was well wide of the frame.
It was a tough day for Waldo-Garcia, the Warriors playmaking midfielder. She just could never get comfortable or find a groove and it affected the South City offense all game long.
“She’s a little banged up,” Mansell said.
Moments after Waldo-Garcia’s attempt, the Warriors were awarded a free kick just past midfield. Waldo-Garcia sent a perfect ball into the middle of the box and it appeared Iliana Sanchez was in on goal, but the assistant referee’s flag was raised again for another offside call.
Just before halftime, Sanchez stayed onside. She ran onto a through ball and with a defender on her shoulder and Jones stuck on her goal line, Sanchez broke in on goal, only to pull her shot wide of the goal in the 34th minute.
South City came out with a little more fire in the second half. Alexandra Jara had two chances in the opening minutes of the second half, but Jones was on top of them for Santa Cruz – including a one-handed diving stop on Jara’s second attempt.
“We tried to take the game to them a little bit (in the second half),” Mansell said.
Alas, the Warriors came up empty. They received a couple of free kicks in dangerous areas – one from 39 yards out and another just outside the Cardinals penalty box. Neither shot attempt was close.
The Cardinals then put the Warriors out of their misery with their second goal with 11 minutes left in the game. It was a copy of the first one – Laskey making a long run down the left flank, a cross to the far left post and Moore there to tap in the one-timer for a 2-0 lead.
“We believed (we could come back) until they got that second goal,” Mansell said.