Prep girls’ soccer: Vista avenges Christian Brothers loss; CAL title hangs in balance
The top two teams in the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls’ soccer postseason may very well come out of the Capital Athletic League.
The two frontrunners for the CAL crown went head-to-head for the second time this season Thursday night in Folsom as Christian Brothers battled Vista del Lago. The D-III powerhouses could very well be on a collision course down the road in the section playoffs.
Christian Brothers won their first meeting 3-2 on Jan. 11. But the Eagles responded Thursday with a 2-0 shutout to pull even with the Falcons with one week left in the regular season.
“I feel we dominated, especially since our last game with them (when) we didn’t play that well,” said Vista senior Jenna Frankina. “But in this game, we completely dominated the game. It was overall one of the best games we’ve played all season.”
Frankina took a pass from sophomore Maddison Brossart near the 25-yard line, took a few dribbles, pulled the goalie out of position and beat her one-on-one for an easy goal with 21 minutes left in the first half.
Vista’s second goal came with 14 minutes to play in the second half. A baseline cross from junior Laurel Matthews traveled in front of the net and found sophomore Megan Gover, who deposited her first goal of the season and secured the Eagles’ sixth CAL win.
The only other Christian Brothers (11-2-3, 5-1 CAL) loss came against Whitney on Dec. 10. Vista is the only team to score multiple goals against the Falcons this season.
“We knew we were better, and today we had to show that we were better,” Vista coach Kennedy Chongo said. “We lost by one point to them when we were at their place and we scored two goals today, so if goal differential comes down to head-to-head, then I think this win has put us back on the top.”
Vista (11-2-2, 6-1 CAL) has won five of the last seven CAL titles since joining the league in 2014–15, including the last three. In his third year coaching at Vista, Chongo says a repeat effort of Thursday’s performance will be critical to a postseason push.
“(We have to have the) same intensity and grit that they played with tonight,” Chongo said. “That was very similar to what a matchup would look like in playoffs and trying to win sectionals.
“Defensively, we stayed locked in. They were engaged, no mistakes, we maintained possession, we were moving around. And the same engagement at the level that they had tonight will be able to probably provide us with some success.”
For most of the season, Vista’s offensive attack has been led by seniors Klaire Horton and Alex Kloss. Horton has 24 points off of seven goals and 10 assists.
As a sophomore, Klos raced to a CIF State cross-country championship in 2019, her only year competing in the sport. But as an upperclassman, Klos focused her efforts on playing soccer at national power Santa Clara University.
“Cross country was definitely more physically demanding, just in the fact of every race you’re like killing yourself,” Klos said. “Soccer is a passion for me and cross country was more something that I’m just good at, I guess. So, I’m glad I did it for a season and did as well as I did, but I’m just excited for my future.”
Another collegiate commit for the Eagles is senior goalkeeper Kayli Cokley, who is headed to San Francisco State. Her back line of Klos, Darcy Duncan, Kiera Spencer and Marieke Ten Brink kept a prolific Christian Brothers attack out of sorts Thursday night.
“We’ve been working for this the entire year,” Klos said. “We played Christian Brothers before and lost to them before, so that kind of gave us even more of a boost. And then Senior Night, with all the parents here, we just really wanted it more today.”
With two league games left, Christian Brothers still looks to capture its first league crown since 2011. Driving the Falcons from opposite ends of the field are sophomore sisters Devin and Dana Greer. Devin is the CAL’s leader with 17 goals and 36 points, and Dana has denied 27 shots on goal.
Christian Brothers only has three seniors (Claire LaRocca, Kristin Lee and Eliana Pelliegri). The Falcons’ second-leading scorer, freshman Bailey Rakela, was recently up for the Bee’s Girls Prep of the Week after two goals and an assist in a recent win over Rio Americano. She’s totaled seven goals and seven assists so far in her freshman campaign.
The Falcons and Eagles could very likely meet for a rubber match in the section playoffs. Said Klos, “I hope we do.”
One week remains in the regular season. Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs begin Feb. 9.