Also, Lady Acorns await postseason fate
MORGAN HILL — In spirited fashion, Sobrato’s 11 seniors went kicking and screaming through their final game.
Did you expect less from this class, one that was part of back-to-back division-championship seasons?
The graduating Bulldogs will admit a 1-14-4 finish was not the way they wanted to end their prep soccer careers. But there was no evidence of that Wednesday night — not as they cheered, hugged and cried in the dreary Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center after a 2-0 loss to Santa Teresa.
“You couldn’t tell this was a team that was coming from the bottom of the (Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division),” Sobrato coach Paul Nishimatsu said as the icy-cold rain picked up. “They really had a good time this season. They were in every game they played and they finished strong.”
The Bulldogs were 1-11-2 in league play — with six of those losses coming by two goals or less. Their offense was hampered by long-term injuries.
“We put everything behind us. We knew we had to leave it all on the field,” said senior forward Lindsay Van Keulen. “We played 100 percent throughout the game. It was exactly how I wanted to go out.”
The section-playoff bound Saints (8-6-6 overall, 8-2-4 BVAL) tallied their first goal in the 27th minute, when forward Heather Rose — from 13 yards out — first-timed a ball that had deflected high off a Sobrato defenseman.
Shannon East provided Santa Teresa’s second score in the 43rd minute, dribbling past Bulldogs goalkeeper Maggie Cropp, who dove to breakup a pass, and tapping the ball into the open net.
“Against a team like Santa Teresa in this game, I just wanted them to go out and have fun,” Nishimatsu said. “They played pretty well.”
Cropp finished with six saves, rounding out a stellar freshman season. She got help in the 11th minute from sophomore Alyson Inouye, who stood in front of a shot that glanced off Cropp’s hands.
“I love these seniors. They’ve welcomed us to the team, and we wanted to do our best for them,” sophomore Nika Burnett said. “It’s going to be hard without them.”
Burnett gave Sobrato a chance to score in the 63rd minute after she was fouled on a breakaway less than 30 yards from the goal. But the ensuing free-kick sailed far.
“They finished strong,” Nishimatsu said. “You’ve got to give them credit for giving it their all.”
The Bulldogs will break in a almost entirely new team next year. Nishimatsu said they will probably drop back to the Santa Teresa Division, which Sobrato won during the 2007-08 season.
“We had enough seniors for a full team,” senior Melina Silva said. “We’ve done so much with the underclassmen. Knowing this was our last game with them really motivated us.”
Van Keulen and Kayla Nishimatsu — Paul’s daughter — have one more game. Both were selected to play in the March 6 Senior Showcase at Pioneer High School.
“I’m just going to try and stay in shape for that,” Van Keulen said. “This is my last high school sport. So it’s good to end with this team, this way.”
Lady Acorns now play waiting game
Let the nail-biting begin.
Live Oak put the finishing touches on an impressive regular season with a 5-1 victory over the Prospect Mustangs on Wednesday, and now must wait until this weekend’s CIF-Central Coast Section playoff meeting to learn its fate.
The Lady Acorns (15-2-1 overall) finished second in the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division at 11-2-1 in league play – a strong resume for an at-large berth in the Division III tournament.
First-place Willow Glen (12-0-2 BVAL) nabbed the Santa Teresa’s lone automatic bid.
Live Oak plowed through the visiting Mustangs, getting two goals from freshman Michaela Swensen and one apiece from Megan Rauschnot, Amanda Whitling and Amanda Morgan. Rauschnot also had two assists; and Jessica Rinauro one.
