Marin Academy’s NorCal title as told by the players

&nbsp; When the California Interscholastic Federation released the Northern California State Division II brackets, the Marin Academy Wildcats likely got a devilish grin on their collective faces. They were opposite Archie Williams in the bracket, the team that broke their hearts just eight days before in the North Coast Section Division III final. A chance for payback was a possibility. Both teams then impressively progressed through the bracket as underdogs each time, meeting on Saturday in the NorCal final. This time, Marin Academy broke the hearts of the Falcons with a 3-2 golden-goal winner in overtime. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="8195" first="Malcolm" last="Zalayet"] provided the composed and clinical finish in the 82nd minute, just two minutes into the extra period. A mistake and confusion in the back led to an opportunity and Zalayet calmly dinked the ball over the keeper and watched it roll in for the match-winner and the title clincher. Archie Williams scored a very similar goal in the final two minutes of regulation as Zach Lillington’s goal in the 79th minute leveled the match and the Falcons gut-punched the Wildcats again. But the latter stayed confident and scored the winner despite the setback. "We knew there was going to be spaces, there was going to be opportunities for them on the counter, and there would be the opportunity for us as well," Marin Academy coach Josh Kalkstein said. "Psychologically we tried to keep the boys from dropping off and we spend a lot of time not just dealing with the tactical and the technical and the athletic piece, but also the psychological, and it very much is about mental strength. It’s not always going to go your way and they are learning to deal with the emotions and stay focused and to keep falling forward." Twice Marin Academy had the lead, only to see Archie Williams peg back. Zalayet scored in the final minute of the first half on a ball that was served into the box and found its way to him, and he finished it well. The Falcons bounced back when [player_tooltip player_id="8454" first="Owen" last="Benson"], the leading scorer and MVP of the Marin County Athletic League, scored on a header off a [player_tooltip player_id="7431" first="Diego" last="Alicke"] corner. [player_tooltip player_id="8750" first="Tyler" last="Huck"] scored what, at the time, appeared could be the winner in the 67th minute before Archie pegged back again. "We knew they would be dangerous on set pieces, they are a fantastic team, they play with their hearts on their sleeve, physically they are a fantastic side as well and they definitely have some players that can make the difference," Kalkstein said. "Given it was just eight days ago we lost to them in the NCS finals, it was a huge turnaround for our guys, but I can’t say enough, it was a fantastic season for Archie Williams. To see two teams from Marin playing in the finals at this level is a celebration for all of Marin. I’m super proud of all the guys that played today." Five players stood out for Marin Academy, and each had a different perspective of overcoming the obstacles and the joy that ensued. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="6939" first="Aiden" last="Aley"], Senior, Midfielder</strong> Aley left the game with a leg injury in the first half after a hard collision but got the treatment he needed to go back and play, even if it wasn’t close to full strength. His impact on the game is profound, not just from a possession standpoint, but from an uplifting standpoint as he is a motor for the team. "I needed to go back in, no matter what," Aley said. "It was the last game and I needed to be with the team." Aley, knowing the team thrives in these matches, did not doubt they would win. "This is the best feeling I could ever imagine, it really was just a true team effort from the beginning of the season until the end. I’m at a loss for words. It really was just fantastic. This team comes from big games and big titles so we had high expectations the whole year. After winning NorCal in this same division my freshman year we’ve been trying to win it again, and to end on this, it’s just amazing." When Aley saw that Archie was on the other side of the bracket, thoughts drifted to playing them again. "That’s what we were thinking, that we would probably be in the same division for State," he said. "So to see them on the end of the bracket and to meet them in the final and to do it at their house is just amazing." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="7562" first="Ethan" last="Carr"], Senior, Midfielder</strong> Carr, the ever-composed engine of the Wildcats, was cool and calm in possession this match, helping Marin Academy play its possession style by moving the ball quickly and switching the point of attack. He was great at finding open spaces. Carr had the sudden feeling of euphoria when the winning goal went in. "It was incredible, it happened so quickly, I don’t even think I had touched the ball in extra time," Carr said. "It’s the perfect way to win. We lost to them a week ago and we bonded even more around it and this is the closest team I’ve ever been on and we fought for each other and it felt so rewarding." Carr had thoughts about that final matchup leading into this one. "In the last game it was sort of a similar story, we went up at the end of the first half and then they came back in the second half and got the winner," he said. "This time we went in with the mindset that we knew we had to keep fighting no matter what and had to stay mentally strong and sharp. So even though we gave up those goals, we never put our heads down and we always knew we had to keep going and keep fighting because we knew we had the ability to beat them. In the last game, we sorta stopped playing our style and played long ball and they kept winning the balls in the air and the second balls, so one of our main focuses was to stick to our style, building out of the back and playing around them." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="8750" first="Tyler" last="Huck"], Senior, Attacking Midfielder</strong> Huck got hurt three days before the team’s first game of the season and missed nine weeks. He was able to contribute and the attacking midfielder was a difference-maker in this one, scoring a goal, winning balls, and delivering perfectly weighted balls to teammates making a run up the sides. Huck felt great in being able to come back and be part of this run to the NorCal final. "It feels amazing, all of us seniors have been waiting for this for two years, obviously last year was cut short so it feels pretty amazing to have something like this happen. It’s indescribable," he said. "If there is a way to go out, that’s the way to go out." Huck echoed Carr’s sentiment about keeping the heads up after the last-minute Archie goal leveled the match. "For the first few seconds after it, you’re like ’wow, it really happened like that’ but I think we all realized there was plenty of soccer left to play and we still had time and still had chances to get it done and there was a mentality shift for the whole team. Once we came into extra time we felt there was no way we weren’t going to come out with it." <strong>Owen Swagel, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Sagel, who had the privilege of dealing with [player_tooltip player_id="8454" first="Owen" last="Benson"] for most of the day, did a great job clearing balls in the air, finding teammates with those clearances, and getting his touch right when Benson or other attacking players had the ball on the floor. Swagel moved to center back for Marin Academy this year and did a standout job. Swagel recapped his experience in dealing with Benson. "He’s a lot to handle, he’s an incredible athlete who knows the game really well and we know he bags goals and it takes a lot of focus," Swagel said. "There are guys behind me like Alex (Marmolejo) and Parker (Mascott) and Dane (Kundsen) and Diego (Felix) who are there to talk to me but credit to him because he’s an incredible player and he worked the hell out of our back line." When Archie scored the game-tying goals, Swagel had to shake off the feeling of responsibility. "It’s really tough, as a center back," Swagel said. "It feels like it’s on you in the moment and you have to be able to flip that switch and that’s where the guys around you come in to tell you to focus and to pay attention because you still have time left to do it." In the end, Swagel got to shake off those feelings of disappointment and leave MA as a champion. "This is magical, this is the exact way I would want it to end," Swagel said. "Our freshman year, our seniors they ended their season like this on a last-second NorCal goal and we all remember the feeling and the emotion and that being the last kick of your high school career is just incredible." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="8195" first="Malcolm" last="Zalayet"], Sophomore, Striker</strong> Zalayet is a big, strong striker who is only a sophomore. He puts pressure on defensive players, constantly hunting the ball down, challenging for 50/50 balls and with his size he can use his power to get by defenders, win balls in the air and he is a very good finisher, scoring two goals in the final. When the second of his goals, and the game-winner, went in the moment happened so fast that he couldn’t really recall it. "All I remember is that I popped it over," Zalayet said. "I just pressed because I knew there could be a mistake anywhere. When you are attacking the ball at the top always try to predict the worst for them and I did and I just remember popping it over, the ball bouncing and I just went off to celebrate. It went by so fast, I just knew I felt happiness and joy, it was just great." Zalayet remembers looking at the seniors and knowing he wanted to win it for them, and win it as a collective. "This game was a team effort," Zalayet said. "We couldn’t have done it without the seniors and to have them go out with this win is just great." Archie Williams had three players that really stood out as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="7431" first="Diego" last="Alicke"], Senior, Forward</strong> Alicke is a handful on the outside as he is quick with the ball at his feet. He is a very creative player who is fantastic at delivering the ball into the box from the run of play or on a set piece. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="8454" first="Owen" last="Benson"], Senior, Striker</strong> Benson is absolutely the type of striker you describe as having a nose for goal. He constantly applies pressure to the defense, makes well-timed and well-angled runs, and is a top-class finisher. He scored a goal in the final and nearly scored two others on terrific volleys. <strong>Zach Lillington, Senior, Central Defender</strong> Lillington is a huge presence in the back. He is tall and physically imposing and can handle most strikers with his physicality. He wins just about every ball in the air and is also comfortable with the ball at his feet.