Prep girls’ soccer: With furious rally, Whitney secures playoff spot in final game

In a night engulfed by pageantry and controversy, the Whitney high school girls’ soccer team ended their senior night on a high note Thursday, earning a playoff spot in a 1-1 tie against Rocklin.

Though the game was knotted, the mood was celebratory. The environment was lively well before the match began as Whitney’s seniors were paraded around on the sideline in front of their home fans one last time.

The team also performed a self-choreographed dance routine on the field following the senior night festivities.

The cherry on top of that, the girls also sang the national anthem loud and proud, unaccompanied by music or a band.

Despite the positive vibes, the Wildcats started the game very slow. They were able to take three shots on goal in comparison to the Thunder’s eight. The fifth of those eight shot attempts was also able to find the back of the net, putting Whitney down early at home.

“One thing I can’t get through to these girls,” said head coach Ana Jones. “We can’t allow the other team to score first, because then it causes us to play with urgency.”

Boy, was Jones right. The second half was a completely different game. The Wildcats looked more energetic and hungry than they did at any point in the first half. They took seven shots on goal as opposed to Rocklin’s six.

“We played our hearts out,” Jones said. “The girls needed this. I could feel it in my girls’ hearts that they wanted this game more than anything, because we were at the bottom and we’ve started to go up. It’s a good feeling.”

About halfway through the second half, sophomore forward Lauren Hunter was able to send a shot home and tie the game up.

“We wanted it more than the other team,” Hunter said. “We never put our head down. After we got scored on we kept our head in the game until 80 was up.”

Even though she is an underclassman, it’s Hunter’s love for the sport that pushed her to make likely the most important play of the match. She has aspirations of playing soccer at the University of Oregon after high school and is looking to prove herself now.

Although coach Jones and Hunter were both happy with how their team performed, they were left stunned by the outcome of the match, which to Hunter “didn’t make sense.”

With just under two minutes left, the Wildcats pushed the ball up the pitch and were able to get an open look at the goal. Rocklin’s keeper was able to deflect the shot, but one of the Wildcats was there to send it back in for what looked like the winning goal.

But.

The referee called offsides on the Wildcats and nullified the goal, leaving the match tied as the final whistle blew shortly after.

“She couldn’t be offside because the ball bounced back and then my player was there so she kicked it in,” said coach Jones. “I tried to talk to the referee, but you can’t really talk to them after the game.”

In the end, Whitney players were happy they fought back and willed themselves into the postseason. And if they get a high seed in the playoffs, which start next week, maybe the Whitney players haven’t seen the last of their home field.