Prep girls’ soccer: Granite Bay applies pressure but falls short of NorCal title

Leigh High School defeated Granite Bay 1-0 in a tense Northern California Division II girls’ soccer championship Saturday night.

The game started out with a bang as Leigh Longhorns striker America Frias scored a right-footed rocket within the first five minutes.

The Grizzlies bounced back in the second half, getting 14 shots and putting pressure on Leigh, but they just couldn’t finish.

It seemed that the Grizzlies would get the tying goal as one player even had a one-on-one with the goalie in the final minutes. But the shot went right past the post. Winger Julia Schwarze had two late free kicks near the right touchline that shaved the crossbar. The homefield fans were on the edge of their seats during the late intensity, but the goal never came.

With defenders making goal-line clearances and goalkeepers stopping shots from close range, the championship game was highlighted by two exemplary defenses.

For Granite Bay, this is the furthest they have gone in school history. Coach Mark Broers praised his school’s commitment to sports and singled-out athletic director Tim Healy, who is in attendance for every Granite Bay sporting event:

“Our school is constantly winning”, he said, “I think even our water polo team won their championship.”

With a state-of-the-art stadium and energetic crowd, it’s hard not to note the importance of sports at Granite Bay. It was a cold night, with temperatures dropping to the low 40s, but the crowd was big and rowdy. The excitement was real, with a large group of younger Granite Bay students acting as ball kids.

The Grizzlies finished the season as runners-up in the Sierra Foothill League, a tough division with heavy-hitters like Oak Ridge, which won the Division I NorCal championship Saturday.

Although they did not win the section or NorCal, Broers said it was a pleasure and joy coaching this group of girls. Their teamwork and genuine love for one another set them apart from the Grizzlies teams of the past.

With eight seniors set to go off to college, including top-scorer Savannah Schwarze and high-level defender Kristi Truong, the Grizzlies will start anew next year and hope to carry on in their winning ways.

Broers was enthusiastic about his team and school: “We’re definitely a soccer school!”

Leigh of San Jose was always going to be a tough opponent for Granite Bay. It was undefeated in the Hamilton League.

Despite only three starting seniors, the Leigh team is filled with stars.

Goal-scorer America Frias is set to play soccer for UCLA in the fall. Coach Nick Hatzke said some of his other players are getting looks from Duke and Pepperdine.

The team’s top scorer this season with 16 goals was sophomore Akshaya Bahugudumbi.

Hatzke expected his top-notch players to win Saturday night.

“These girls have been amazing this year”, he said, “Their teamwork is unlike anything I have seen. And we have so many stars but they always find a way to work together. I mean, we came this far, drove this far … We are gonna win this game.”