1st and 2nd place teams face off in the season-ending finale

Rarely does the season finale end with two teams keeping their current standing. A win or a loss decision didn't really matter for this game, but let's just say that one team was out to prove a point. The Leigh Longhorns, the 16th ranked team in CA and 1st (7-1-1) and (13-1-2) overall, came into the Pat Tillman Stadium without a bunch of their starters. The Leland Chargers were the 60th ranked team in CA and in 2nd place at (5-1-3) and (9-2-6) overall. Not sure if the Chargers rested any of their starters, but it was evident that they were definitely looking for a win.   Both teams played with high energy, quick ball movement, and attacking runs down the center and channels. It seemed that in the first half, the Longhorns seemed to have a bit of an edge with [player_tooltip player_id='19715' first='Kennadi' last='Borg'] (UCSD commit) leading the attack and firing off some long-range set pieces that barely went wide of the goal. She started counterattacks from her defensive side and pushed her team up into scoring range. Leigh had multiple opportunities to get on the board, but luck was not on their side in the first half.   The Chargers offense was led by [player_tooltip player_id='146242' first='Allison' last='Park'], who seemed to be everywhere on the attacking third. She covered sideline to sideline and distributed passes to runners making diagonal and overlapping runs. They also had a few on-goal shot attempts, but Leigh's goalkeeper, Elle Obenour, made quality stops in the penalty area. The half ended without any scores on the board.   Not sure if Chargers HC Stephanie Bloom's halftime pep talk got the Chargers fired up, or if they really wanted to avenge their two previous losses to the Longhorns this season. Either way, Leland stepped on the gas pedal, and their offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Wave after wave of Chargers attacks was stopped by center backs [player_tooltip player_id='187350' first='Kaya' last='Schaefer'], Eliana Gonzales, and Hailey Hall. Just as it seemed as if they shut down the Chargers offense, [player_tooltip player_id='19102' first='Annika' last='Park'] scored in the 10th minute of the 2nd half on a beautiful set piece from just outside the 18-yard box. She made a perfect dipping shot that went over the three-person wall and dropped right below the crossbar. Ten minutes later she scored from another set piece from the opposite side of the field, a bit further out from the previous spot. It was a low skipping shot that got between the defenders and barely hit the left side goal post.   During the final 7 minutes of the match, Leigh's [player_tooltip player_id='111131' first='Shani' last='Outlaw'] received the ball just outside of the 18 between two defenders. She pushed the ball forward with a touch and sent it to the far post as the goalkeeper came out to cut her angle. Outlaw also showed her dribbling skills throughout the match as she effortlessly weaved through players in the middle of the pitch and along the touchlines. Unfortunately for HC Nick Hatzke and the Longhorns, time expired, and the match ended with a 2-1 loss. Both teams showed a lot of respect for each other, and who knows if we might see them play a fourth match as they are both in the CCS (Central Coast Section) D1 bracket. I, like the Longhorns fans, am hoping that [player_tooltip player_id='111251' first='Maggie' last='Currie'] (UNC Commit) will be available as they make a run for a CCS Championship.    Played a solid match. She played physical when needed, but also showed her dribbling skills as she pushed out from the back to start counter attacks. She has a long boot as she sent long range set pieces over the defensive line. She anticipated runners trying to slip through the middle and made multiple stops around the 18. Kaya plays club soccer for Los Gatos United.     Played the center back position. She was good at tracking runners trying to angle in from the touchline. She made good decisions when stepping into passing lanes and is quick on transitions from the back. She plays club soccer for Los Gatos United.     Didn't back down against the speedy attackers making diagonal runs or attempting to slip between the lines. She worked well with the other backs and seemed to know when the offense tried to switch players to her side. She read made some hard challenges and made some quick passes to midfielders looking to counter. She plays club soccer for Los Gatos United.     Played as an attacking mid and made runs at the top. She showed some burst of speed and made strong runs along the wings. She has a powerful shot and makes strong challenges on both ends of the field. She made a few quality shot on goal and almost broke through the defense with quick angling runs. She plays club soccer for Bay Area Surf.    <a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892099491693474023">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892099491693474023</a>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892048305233985843 </div></figure>   <a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892103491608338622">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892103491608338622</a>   <a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892981725791179019">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1892981725791179019</a>

Rarely does the season finale end with two teams keeping their current standing. A win or a loss decision didn't really matter for this game, but let's just say that one team was out to prove a point. The Leigh Longhorns, the 16th ranked team in CA and 1st (7-1-1) and (13-1-2) overall, came into the Pat Tillman Stadium without a bunch of their starters. The Leland Chargers were the 60th ranked team in CA and in 2nd place at (5-1-3) and (9-2-6) overall. Not sure if the Chargers rested any of their starters, but it was evident that they were definitely looking for a win.