Redwood wins rare triple; seven players standout

Maybe the Redwood-Larkspur (Calif.) vs. Richmond (Calif.) soccer match wasn’t what Homer had in mind when he asked for the tail of twists and turns to be sung, but maybe if he knew exactly how it would transpire, he would have written about this Odyssey. It is not often a game with one goal is a back-and-forth, exciting affair, but this one had all you could ask for in a North Coast Section final, with the Giants topping the Oilers 1-0 for the Division II crown, the school’s first boys NCS title. This comes on the heels of a Marin County Athletic League regular-season championship and the MCAL Tournament title. "I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s the best feeling in the world," Redwood coach Will Finnie said. "It’s why I got into coaching. I couldn’t stop competing, I couldn’t stop being a part of this game and I love working with kids, you do it for them." The match had an incredibly exciting final seven minutes, as both teams nearly won the game with the opportunities coming within a minute of each other, before Redwood scored the golden goal in the second minute of the second overtime. That goal came from the prodigious right foot of [player_tooltip player_id="7391" first="Dave" last="Mazariegos"], who took an outlet pass from Matt Jessen down the right side, one-touched it with his chest and then one-timed it with his right foot and beat the keeper in the 92nd minute. "I just got the ball, put it down and I was like, I need to score this goal for the team," Mazariegos said. "I missed one earlier, it could have gone in, the keeper made a great save. In my mind I was like I just gotta smash this one in. I just hammered that thing, and hoped it went in and it obviously did." Mazariegos nearly ended the match in the 86th minute, getting into the box, cutting to his left and sending a left-footed blast that seemed to be going in. However, Richmond sophomore keeper made a fantastic save, and though he had to guess which way Mazariegos was going and guessed wrong, he did what good keepers do, dragging his legs and was able to make the leg save and keep the Oilers alive. "We felt that we were going to score," Finnie said. "But at the same time, with a team the quality of Richmond, they are so dangerous that we knew we had to get one eventually or else they are going to get one." And Richmond nearly did, just a minute after Mazariegos almost scored as a ball was played through to forward Emilio Ramirez, who was in on goal alone but Redwood keeper Jackson Walker was positioned perfectly and was able to parry the rocket from Ramirez. A great chance came off the left foot of Jessen in the 42nd minute as he cut back and got off a perfect strike from outside the box that was headed for the upper left corner, but Albarran came from out of nowhere to make an incredible leaping save. "That’s one of the best saves I’ve seen all season," Finnie said. "The explosiveness to get over, he covered so much ground. I thought it was in." Redwood was in control early, but Richmond grew into the game and seemed to be on the front foot for a lot of the second half and overtime, but could not breakthrough against a very organized and disciplined Giants team. "I think they had the better of the first half and we had the better of the second half and of OT," Richmond coach Rene Siles said. "In the first half, we made too much use of the long ball. They are older and physically stronger and taller and pressed us into doing that, but our midfield dealt with that better in the second half. The match could have gone either way and it needed a winner." Redwood was rewarded with a No. 8 seed in Division I of the NorCal State playoffs while Richmond got the No. 2 seed in Division II. Redwood also earned a promotion to Division I for the next NCS season. Seven players stood out and really made an impression this one. <strong>Diego Albarran, Richmond, Sophomore, Keeper</strong> Albarran had a very good game, keeping Richmond in the match with a number of saves. He showed good instincts, quickness, and fearlessness. <strong>Matt Jessen, Redwood, Senior, Forward</strong> An attacking player that doesn’t need attention or an ego boost. He goes out every single day and does his job. A very relaxed player, the moment doesn’t get too big for him. His mentality remains the same for every game, as he has a level of confidence and the ability to stay cool. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="7391" first="Dave" last="Mazariegos"], Redwood, Senior, Striker</strong> Mazariegos plays with such pace, with such fire and passion. He has a nose for goal and does everything he does to help the team win, not seeking out individual glory. He bangs in enough goals to where that glory does come, but he does it within the context of the team first. <strong>Edgardo Mejia, Richmond, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Mejia had the key clearance off the line mentioned above, but beyond that, he was a force making well-timed tackles when needed and battling in the box against bigger strikers. Mejia helped hold the backline and stemmed the Redwood attack. <strong>Andy Palmer, Redwood, Senior, Holding Midfielder</strong> Palmer is the heart and soul of this Redwood team. He beats the drum for the team in training, keeps the team energized and keeps them focused no matter whether its a league game, a league title game, or an NCS title game. <strong>Yeison Sontay, Richmond, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Sontay was an emotional and physical leader for Richmond on Saturday. He showed great poise in dealing with the big attacking players for Redwood, consistently winning challenges in the air and on the ground. <strong>Jackson Walker, Redwood, Sophomore, Keeper</strong> Walker has gotten so much better throughout the year. He is a football player, playing defensive back and wide receiver, and has started to use those instincts as a keeper. He has become much better in 1v1 moments and at picking when to come out from his goal.