Prep girls’ soccer: Oak Ridge repeats as section champion with blowout win over Lincoln
Giovanni Marsh should probably go buy a lottery ticket.
That would be the brother of the Oak Ridge High School senior girls’ soccer player Gabby Marsh, who wrote a message on his sister’s taped wrist before the Sac-Joaquin Section Division l championship game Thursday.
“X3”
The message was simple: Go score three times. And that’s exactly what Marsh did, recording a hat trick in an 8-1 win over No. 11 seed Lincoln of Stockton to repeat as Division-l champions. Oak Ridge’s Emily Lieber scored two goals and Sophia Moness, Natalya Toyama and Iman Mustafa all scored a goal each.
Marsh will play at Cal State San Marcos in the fall on a soccer scholarship. Her brother graduated from Oak Ridge in 2019 and plays on the men’s soccer team at the college. On Thursday, he was in the stands at Heart Health Park cheering on his kid sister.
“It feels so amazing,” Marsh said on winning the section title. “I was so nervous all day and my brother wrote times three on my wrist. He knew I was going to get a hat trick.”
Oak Ridge was the top seed in the bracket and showed why. After Lincoln tied the game early in the first half, the Trojans responded with three goals in less than 10 minutes. In the process, Oak Ridge set a section championship record for most goals in a game. The previous record was seven by Davis in 2007.
This is the Trojans’ fourth section championship win in school history.
“Right when we saw them score, we knew we needed to get it together,” Mustafa said. “We attacked them (after that) and we were determined to win. We showed out today. This isn’t the end. I think we can make a run at state. … Being a No. 1 seed is a lot of pressure. Everyone expects you to be the best.”
They set the record playing at the same stadium Sacramento Republic plays in. Some of the Oak Ridge players have gone to games on this field recently.
“I walked in the stadium and thought this is amazing,” Marsh said “I was in shock. I said I probably won’t get to play in this stadium again. I have been in the stands watching (Sacramento Republic) games, now I’m on the field. It was insane.”
The sentiment of appreciation was felt by senior Iman Mustafa. Her dad works at UC Davis, which is one of Republic’s main sponsors. Mustafa is used to sitting up close at games for that reason.
“When I found out we were playing here, my heart dropped,” Mustafa said. “My dad works for UC Davis, so we always come to games and sit up front. We always watch (Sac Republic) play, so it’s surreal to play in this environment. It’s surreal to win it in my senior year.”
The proud coach of the Trojans is Rino Chimienti. He was there in 2020 when Oak Ridge beat Folsom 2-0 in overtime. He has had the chance to coach his senior daughter, Olivia the last four seasons.
“It’s really special,” Chimienti said. “I have been with her for four years here and it’s awesome. It’s extra special and it means more.”
He added on playing at Heart Health Park, “This is an awesome experience. For these girls, these are lifetime memories. When they get older, they’re going to come back and say I played and won a championship here. This group has the mentality to work hard. Going back to back is building a tradition.”
The Trojans’ season isn’t over. Oak Ridge await its seeding for the NorCal championships that start next Tuesday. The Trojans are expected to draw one of the top seeds in the D-l bracket.
“It was good to make a statement,” Chimienti said. “When you are the No. 1 seed, everyone is coming after you. The No. 1 seed doesn’t always win. … We are going to enjoy this. Hopefully we have three more games left.”