Prep girls’ soccer: St. Francis’ team attack knocks tough Mustangs out of playoffs
St. Francis advanced out of the first round of the Division I girls’ soccer tournament with a 4-1 victory over Monterey Trail on Friday.
The match took place at a dimly lit field at Cristo Del Rey High, as St. Francis doesn’t have a home stadium. Third-ranked St. Francis, the winners of the Delta League, were big favorites over Monterey Trail. However, Monterey Trail made an impressive showing despite the final score.
St. Francis dominated the first half, netting two scores from outside-the-box wonder-goals. In the second half, Monterey Trail made matters tense. A few minutes into the second half, the Mustangs’ Arianna Manriquez lined up from nearly midfield and hammered in a free-kick rocket to slash the deficit to a single goal.
Trailing 2-1, Monterey Trail pressed for the tying goal but, St. Francis’ two late scores sealed the victory. The Troubadors did what they’ve done all season to net the win: attack from all angles. Fourteen players have scored this season for St. Francis. Yazmin Azar, a sophomore, and senior Kate Killer scored their first goals of the year in the win for the Troubadors. Audrey Shackleford scored her second of the year. Junior Jaycee DeFazio had her 14th goal to round out the scorers.
St. Francis coach Maryclare Robinson heaped praise on the opposition to start off her interview with reporters. Monterey Trail might have been a 14 seed but the Mustangs were dangerous.
“It was a great game on both sides of the ball,” Robinson said. “Their attacking players are super dangerous, they’ve scored like 5,000 goals. What an amazing season they have had.”
Robinson moved on to praise her team.
“If you’re gonna beat us you’ve got to beat every player.”
St. Francis had fast movement and quick passes. All four goals were the result of carefully calculated team plays. Robinson could not single out a player of the match.
“No one player is going to do it alone and that’s kind of what makes us special,” she said. “We’ve got a variety of people who can score. This was a great team effort.”
Midfielder DeFazio is clearly the glue that connects the St. Francis offense and defense. Against Monterey Trail, she was the field general, with every play moving through her.
DeFazio said she had been working on her shooting “to be ready when her chance came.” She’ll have more chances coming up. A junior, DeFazio clearly loves the game and has already committed to Cal Poly to play in college.
It was a disappointing loss for Monterey Trail as they ended a fairytale season. The Mustangs had never had a winning season or qualified for the playoffs in school history. That changed this year. Monterey Trail went 16-7-3 overall and finished 4-1 in league play.
Coach Dave Groves glows when he talks about his team.
“They are a fantastic group of girls on and off the field,” he said. “As a team, they have an average GPA of 3.8. That’s 25 kids!”
Although the players were disappointed at the end of their season, they were still pleased by their overall success. While playoff losses often end in tears, the Mustangs took pictures on the field and traded hugs after the game.
There was plenty to celebrate. Senior striker Tiana Johnson provided much of the Monterey Trail offense in lifting the team to its first winning record. In 23 league games, Johnson scored 49 goals and finished the season as the third-leading scorer in California.
Johnson was emotional after the loss postmatch but was excited for what is ahead. She has a full scholarship to play soccer at the University of Arkansas. Johnson made sure to praise and thank her coach, saying his decision to move her from winger to striker this season was a success and only furthered her playing ability.
St. Francis will host Lincoln in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. If the Troubadors’ team success continues, they’ll move on to the semifinals Friday.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 5:39 AM.