CA Girls State Finals preview

The top boys teams and players in the state of California received their just due yesterday, so now it's time to shine the focus on the girls. So much talent, both from a team context and an individual context, comes out of this state. Saturday's games will be enjoyable for everybody watching them. The boys were featured south to north, so the girls will be featured north to south.   NORCAL   Division I - No. 2 Del Oro v. No. 4 Archbishop Mitty   The Monarchs are a No. 4 seed in name only, and that's simply because they lost in the Central Coast Section Division I final to St. Francis-Mountain View. The two are the best teams in the Northern California and would probably both win five times if they were to play each other 10 times. Mitty beat the Lancers this time, in the NorCal semi's.   [player_tooltip player_id='19981' first='Murphy' last='Walsh'], the junior USC commit, scored twice, and Kiki Vostermans scored the match-winner in the 3-2 win. This came after [player_tooltip player_id='83851' first='Angie' last='Cao'] scored twice to knock off a very good Davis team in the quarterfinals.   [player_tooltip player_id='74000' first='Kiana' last='Faucette'] is a key player for the Golden Eagles as she scored a goal and Bailey Fuller had one as well in the 2-1 semifinal win over San Ramon Valley. Del Oro had to beat two very, very tough East Bay Athletic League teams, beating league champ Amador Valley in PK's in round one.   Division II - No. 1 St. Francis-Sacramento v. No. 7 Granite Bay   The Troubadors have not allowed a goal in the NorCal playoffs, winning comfortably 4-0 in the quarterfinal against Casa Grande and then 2-0 against Homestead in the semifinal.   What's really remarkable about this St. Francis team is that they have been getting contributions from all over, including from players who did not express themselves as much early in the year. Those players are making an impact now.   If there is one player to watch amongst the many who can light up the stat sheet, it is the savvy midfielder Yazmin Azar who is very dangerous going forward.   Granite Bay is on an incredible run of form, pulling off two upsets to get to the final, looking to pull the biggest one of all. If they do so, it's because the team is unified.   "(What has got us to this point is) the determination of the players to continually improve and be flexible from game to game with our tactics," Granite Bay coach Mark Broers said. "They are a very tight group and really intelligent."   Senior captain Katie Smith was great in the 3-2 win over Las Lomas on Thursday, as she moved up to a forward spot and applied tremendous pressure on the nights when the team was down 2-0. She scored the first goal to get the Grizzlies going, taking a great ball from Molly Newlin, then beating two defenders and slotting the ball past the keeper. That score set the Grizzlies on their way to the win and she helped guide her team to the finish line.   Division III - No. 1 University v. No. 6 Rio Americano   What a finish for a strongly bonded group of girls that has had great success in their time at University High in San Francisco, and it has now reached a high point as the Red Devils are playing for a NorCal title.   For University, it is all about team chemistry and leadership from this group of seniors that has been together for these past four years. Keeper Ari Price, defenders Cece Erhart, Sammy Monks, Chapel King and [player_tooltip player_id='54240' first='Hanae' last='Kambara-Coughlin'] have been the heart and soul of this team, couple with amazing goal-scoring and creative ability from Isabella Ong and Katya Davis.   University survived two tough challenges, one from Oakville in the first round, winning 3-2, then played an excellent Colfax team and were on the back foot until breaking through for a goal and then settled in to control things from there.   Whitney Froeb was a stand out for University. She controlled the middle of the pitch and gave the team a platform defensively and in connecting with the attack.    Division IV - No. 1 Marin Catholic v. No. 3 Everett Alvarez   Marin Catholic rightfully earned the top seed in the Division IV bracket, and being a tight-knit group has been the driving force behind the Wildcats run to the state final.   "Our sense of togetherness is the energy that has been driving our team forward this season. We are a soccer family. We love and support each other, and frankly like all families, there are times when we don't always get along," Marin Catholic Isaiah Schwerin said. "But we never lose sight of the fact that we are playing together with the shared goals of competing harder than our opponents, supporting each other through good times and bad, and playing the game we love with joy."   Marin Catholic has done that, which led to a 4-1 win over a Live Oak team that was 22-1-1 coming into the quarterfinals, then topped Kerman 1-0 in the semifinals.   Brianna Frade was a standout in that Kerman match, working tirelessly as the No. 9, facing a very skilled and physical center back that was man-marking her. She fought for every ball, she was strong with her back to the goal, and was remained involved in all the dangerous attacking moments. It was her goal in overtime that sent Marin Catholic to this point, getting a touch on a corner that found its way into the net.   [player_tooltip player_id='54217' first='Sloane' last='Carey'] asserted herself as more of a protagonist in the second half and she played with a lot of heart and desire that uplifts her team, and displayed her technical abilities that make her one of the more talented players in Northern California.     Division V - No. 1 Hilmar v. No. 6 Winters   Winters is a small town of about 7,000 people in rural Northern California, which makes it even more of a remarkable thing to see them playing for a state title. And when you are trying to take your program to the next level, the players dedicating to the program is a big key.   "Preparation and buy-in to objectives and goals got us to where we are now," Winters coach Alexander Monsalve said. "We wanted to play a certain style of soccer. We wanted it to be possession-based with good attacking and defending lines that would keep us balanced against any opponent. The girls on this team did a fantastic job implementing what that game model looks like. This is something new for our team as we have never made it this far, so our mindset is to take things one game at a time."   Winters, the No. 6 seed, went all the way down to Ripon Christian and upset the third seed 3-2 and then went to San Francisco and beat Lowell in penalties in the semifinals.   The Warriors did not get to this point on the back of one player, as every player has been extremely valuable throughout the season, but Violet Tuel is the reason the Warriors are in the final. She made two incredible saves that kept them in the PK shootout, and during the game she made several other key saves in 1v1 moments against an attacker.   SOCAL   Division I - No. 1 Santiago-Corona v. No. 2 Santa Margarita   The No. 1 team in the state has to do it twice. Santiago-Corona will need to defeat the defending SoCal state champs a second time to add CIF Regional champ to their trophy case.   The Sharks beat the Eagles 2-0 on Feb. 23 in the Southern Section's Open Division title match.   "We are excited and feel privileged to be one of the few remaining teams in the state still playing," Santiago coach Mike Fleming said. "We feel we have remained true to our process, taken things one game at a time and tried to play within ourselves. Overall, the 11 players on the field understand their roles and have done an excellent job performing what we've asked of them and that's a huge credit to them as players and people to trust the process and in each other."   Santiago started the state tournament with a 3-0 win over Eastlake, then kept another clean sheet with a 2-0 win over Mira Costa on Thursday to reach the final.   Sami Ruiz had a big match against Mira Costa, scoring the first goal and also working hard and contributing on the defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='19461' first='Gracie' last='Kelly'] was instrumental as well, not just Thursday, but all season. Her play in the back has been stellar. She has offered composure, leadership, encouragement and a willingness to compete for every ball and never take a play off. She leads by example on and off the pitch, leaving it all on the pitch while playing, and off she is an encouragement as well, as she has a 4.857 GPA and is always offering academic support to anyone that needs it.   Division II - No. 3 Mission Hills v. No. 8 Westview   The darling of the Southern California tournament, regardless of division, has to be Westview. The San Diego school has made the final as a No. 8 seed. The Wolverines had to go on the road to beat No. 1 Palos Verdes, the runners up in the Southern Section DI playoffs. After that 2-0 win, they had to go back on the road, all the way to Bakersfield, and beat Garces Memorial, the DI runners up in the Central Section.   Incredibly, this is not the first time this season Westview has been a No. 8 seed and made some noise. They were the last team in the San Diego Section's Open Division, and upset top-seeded Patrick Henry, before falling to Torrey Pines in penalties in the semifinals.   Not bad for a team that finished the regular season 8-7-5, but is 6-2-3 in its last 11 matches.   "I think at some point towards the end of the season the kids really bought into the team concept more so than earlier in the season," Westview coach Peter Stogsdill said. "Each game has seen different heroes and kids that did not get a lot of playing time during the year have stepped up big in the postseason. They have bought into the concept of constant improvement and not trying to take the world on by yourself but to trust in your teammates."   In the semifinal overtime win over Garces, [player_tooltip player_id='79760' first='Kaitlyn' last='Arciaga'] stepped up with the huge overtime goal to win the match, while [player_tooltip player_id='20144' first='Sanaa' last='Bebal'] had a great match in the midfield, controlling the pace of play.   Division III - No. 1 Granada Hills Charter v. No. 7 Apple Valley   Granada Hills Charter is in its second championship match of the season, looking to lift the trophy this time after dropping the LA City Section DI final to El Camino Real. The Highlanders have fought hard to get here in the state bracket, winning one-goal games against Granite Hills and Bonita Vista.   On Thursday against Bonita Vista, Samantha Chon and Illiana Velazco were standouts. Chon played with great energy and tactically executed the game plan, acting as a disrupting force. Velazco was rock solid in the back, as usual, and she scored the third goal, which was the difference.   "I think what got us to this point is the girls buying into what we are trying to do," Granada Hills coach Guilherme Mitrovich said. "They are a very selfless team and they work extremely hard. I am very proud of them."   Division IV - No. 1 Arroyo Grande v. No. 2 Louisville   Arroyo Grande played a tough schedule and played in the tough Mountain League, which is why a team that was 8-8-2 when the section playoffs started made a deep run in the playoffs, and earned a No. 1 seed in DIV. The Eagles beat Eagle Rock and Estancia by 2-0 scorelines.   Louisville won the Southern Section Division IV title and are 24-3 this season, and beat La Jolla Country Day and Monrovia to get to this point.   Division V - No. 1 Diamond Ranch v. No. 2 Bell Gardens   Top-seeded Diamond Ranch looks to put a bow on a 23-win season with a state title after winning a Southern Section title as well. The Panthers beat Magnolia Science Academy 8-0 in the first round and then beat Maranatha 1-0 in the semifinals. Bell Gardens got here wins over Mar Vista and Artesia.

The top boys teams and players in the state of California received their just due yesterday, so now it's time to shine the focus on the girls. So much talent, both from a team context and an individual context, comes out of this state. Saturday's games will be enjoyable for everybody watching them. The boys were featured south to north, so the girls will be featured north to south.