The senior class that had been so vital in Live Oak’s return to power in Central Coast Section girls soccer won’t have its dream send-off Saturday.
Champions will be crowned. The sun will shine as it always seems to on the final afternoon at Valley Christian High School. But the Acorns will be miles away in thought, likely still mulling over their 2-1 loss to Archbishop Mitty in the Division II semifinals.
Days before the game, Acorns coach Tony Vasquez had been as optimistic as ever about facing the top-seeded Monarchs, with whom Live Oak played to a scoreless draw Feb. 6. It was an opportunity for Tiffany Geer, Megan Rauschnot and company to show they can play with the “big girls” in Division II. And while the fifth-seeded Acorns did so throughout an exciting final 40 minutes Wednesday at a cold and damp VCHS, their chance to play for a coveted championship ring all but slipped through their fingers during the first half.
“The second half, we played with a lot of heart,” Geer said. “I just wish it would have lasted the whole game.”
Jada Williams’ header in the 71st minute was Live Oak’s only reward for an all-out attack late in the game. The defending-champion Monarchs (20-1-3), winners of the West Catholic Athletic League regular-season and tournament titles, led 2-0 on goals by freshman Ashley Kirchick (18th) and Gabrielle Vargas (66th) and needed only to stay composed to earn their third title-game berth under J.T. Hanley.
“I don’t think we played our best game, definitely not,” Vasquez said. “The girls really got nervous in the first half. But in the second half … we showed we can play with them. We were a little ugly at times, but I’m really proud of this team.”
Its legacy was written before the season. After missing the playoffs from 2006-09, the Acorns won Mount Hamilton Division titles and went deep at sectionals in back-to-back seasons, including a 2-1 loss to Valley Christian in last year’s Division III final when they were again undone early by nerves.
“(Those) got us again today,” Vasquez said. “Mitty just played a better first half.”
Rauschnot’s reaction to the past two playoff losses were almost identical.
“All of the girls finally got all the beginning-game jitters out, and … everyone just started feeling like they actually wanted it instead of being timid and scared to mess up,” said the San Jose State-bound senior, one of the Acorns’ all-time leading goal-scorers. “I think it was a learning experience. It definitely gave the younger girls confidence. I know I can come back and watch next year, and they’re going to do just as well.”
Part of an NCAA Division I signing class with Geer (San Diego State), Sami Riolo (San Jose State) and Kirsten Doting (Pacific for field hockey), Rauschnot was bottled up in the first half, as Mitty applied constant pressure and flexed its offensive muscle with razor-sharp passing and veteran ball-handling.
“I thought we kept the ball in our midfield extremely well, and I thought our forwards were making really good runs up top,” Hanley said. “We couldn’t afford to give the ball away cheaply, particularly with Megan out there.”
The fleet-of-foot Monarchs possessed throughout the majority of the first half and, after countless near-misses, broke through with a precision corner kick by Kirchick, whose left-footed shot bent into the far corner of the net behind keeper Macy Linder. As the Monarchs cheered, Geer looked back at the ball in disbelief.
“Good goal, great goal,” Vasquez said.
Balance of play began to even out slightly toward the end of the first half. Live Oak won two corners that led to quality headers by Carly Kyle and Geer.
The Acorns (15-6-3) carried that momentum into the second half, as they switched to a three-defender set and began pressing.
“Once we start going, we just don’t stop,” Geer said.
Play was halted in the 65th minute because of a verbal clash between coaches. Hanley was upset after Vasquez gathered the ball out of bounds in front of the Mitty bench.
“He said, ‘You’re in my technical area,’” said Vasquez, who was issued a yellow card. “I was like, ‘really? Really?’”
The game resumed after a lengthy meeting between the coaches and officials.
“Everybody’s competitive,” Hanley said, “and Tony wants to win; I want to win. It got a little heated … but we got it all sorted out and shook hands at the end of the game. We move on.”
The Monarchs struck again a minute later when Ana Marija Sola, who gave Live Oak fits all evening, dropped the ball to Vargas about 30 yards from the net. Vargas played the ball down the right side, stopped to shake a defender, and banked in a 25-yard shot off the crossbar.
“They have a lot of talent, and they fight and drive,” Rauschnot said.
Playing like they had nothing to lose, the Acorns turned up the tempo. Alissa Pham, whose long throw-ins were “definitely a challenge,” Hanley said, placed a beautiful toss from the left sideline over the outstretched arms of Mitty goalkeeper Lindsay Mewes toward a buildup in front of the net, where Rauschnot and Williams were waiting.
“I couldn’t see (Jada) until the goalie went up,” said Pham, a sophomore. “Then I saw here there. I was just thinking, ‘Jada … jump.’”
Williams got just enough on the ball to send it in. The Acorns had hope. They outshot Mitty 6-5 in the second half and kept the ball mostly in the Monarchs’ end for the final 10 minutes and stoppage time, but Live Oak had simply arrived too late.
“I still think we could have beaten them,” Geer said. “We were that good.”
The Monarchs celebrated in the darkness afterward while the Live Oak underclassmen, rather than the seniors, showed the most emotion.
“They were so intense and so helpful for us; I feel bad for us losing their last game,” Pham said. “They were hard on us, like, in a good way. I understand why.”
Notes: In Wednesday’s other semifinal, No. 6 Aragon beat No. 5 Presentation in penalty kicks, 4-3, after the teams played to a 2-2 tie in regulation. Aragon will face Mitty at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at VCHS.
