CCS D1 Quarterfinals Match - Pioneer at Saint Francis

<p></p>   <p></p>   <p>The weather conditions were great during this first quarterfinals match at Higgins Field in Mountain View, CA. The Pioneer Mustangs came into this playoff match as the number 8 seed, with an overall record of (13-3-4). I covered a previous match in which they played the Leigh Longhorns, the 7th ranked team in CA at that time. It was a really close match, and they looked to pull off an upset. In this match, the team they would have to beat in order to get to the semifinals is the current 15th ranked team in CA. The Saint Francis Lancers have an impressive overall record of 16-2-1. The Lancers are also ranked as the 63rd team in the nation.  The Lancers won the game in OT as they were tied at 1 a piece at the end of regulation.</p>   <p>Right from the start, the Mustangs made it clear that they were intent on pulling off an upset. They matched the Lancers intensity and made hard challenges throughout the match. As for the Lancers, they relied on quick and precise ball movements. Many of their combination plays started with or involved [player_tooltip player_id='63471' first='Mimi' last='Yamamoto'], the Utah commit. She was instrumental on the offensive side and had a calm presence while creating scoring opportunities.  She had a really good shot from distance that went just wide of the goal post.  Another key player was [player_tooltip player_id='206664' first='Lynn' last='Byun'] who had the most touches in the match.  She played primarily at the midfield position.  More So as a defensive midfielder, making challenges and recoveries. Her ability to read the offense led her to step into lanes and jam runners and dribbles near the 18.</p>   <p>Other Lancers standouts were Penelope Cruz Mason.  Mason had an excellent game as she opened up the scoring in the 12th minute of the 2nd half.  She received a pass just outside of the 18-yard box on her right side, then she pulled it to the left and sent it home towards the opposite post. It was a spectacular goal as the goalkeeper almost made a diving save. She more than likely got the game MVP honors as she also scored the winning goal, her 2nd, in the 1st half of OT.  Also, Anniliese Braun, the starting goalkeeper for the Lancers, made some pivotal saves throughout the match. Her poise in the goal and her ability to cut off players in 1v1 challenges made the difference.</p>   <p>On the Mustangs side, the key players were goalkeeper [player_tooltip player_id='228414' first='Ally' last='Harrison'], Santa Clara commit Addison Subala, Patricia Acoba (La Verne University commit), and [player_tooltip player_id='111280' first='Chloe' last='Crogan']. Harrison made great saves, and she pretty much kept her team in the match against a high-powered Saint Francis team, which came into this match with 71 goals scored. Subala played on the wing and made some nifty passes to players running into open spaces. She also made some good stops near the touchline while slowing down the Lancers attack. Acoba was everywhere, and she distributed the ball with quick and accurate passes. Crogan scored on a heads-up play as she saw that the goalkeeper was off her line and delivered a perfect chip shot over her hands and just below the crossbar.</p>   <p>Next up for HC Justin Stopps and the Mustangs is to take all the challenging experience, as they faced and took some of the top teams in CA to the limits. They are only losing a few seniors and will definitely be in the running next season for a successful CCS run. As for HC Carlos Barboza and his Lancers, they will match up against the #5 seed Leland Chargers on Tuesday (2-25-25) in a semifinal match. If the Lancers and the #2 seed Mitty Monarchs both win their semifinal match, we will see an epic matchup in the CCS Division 1 final on Friday at Santa Clara University.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Played on the wing and made some nifty passes to players running into open spaces. She also made some good stops near the touchline while slowing down the Lancers attack. She played with a strong mental toughness and and helped to slow down the high powered Lancers attack. She plays club soccer for [program_tooltip program_id='280274' first='De' last='Anza Force'].</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Played as a midfielder and was everywhere on the pitch. She distributed the ball with quick and accurate passes and tracked back to recover and make stops in the defensive third. She is one of the leaders on her team and is credited for keeping her team in the match against one of the best team's in CA. She plays club soccer for Allstars United SC.</p>    <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/1893368243609366584 </div></figure>   <p><a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1893370094648021232">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1893370094648021232</a></p>   <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/1893376569290248623 </div></figure>   <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/1893448526601805868 </div></figure>   <p><a href="https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1893455237618204837">https://twitter.com/BayAreaSocScout/status/1893455237618204837</a></p>   <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/1892981725791179019 </div></figure>