Del Oro, St. Francis and Rio Americano capture Sac-Joaquin Section soccer championships
The Del Oro Golden Eagles didn’t just face the pressure cooker of expectations. They embraced it.
Seeded fifth in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls soccer bracket, the Golden Eagles of Loomis made history Saturday night in accomplishing exactly what they set out to do. They won their first large-school tournament in program history, beating No. 3 Davis 1-0 at Cosumnes River College, a year after taking home D-II honors.
Del Oro, 12-1-6 on the season, now has four such blue banners, which always sparkle in any gym setting.
It only took nine minutes for senior Kiana Faucette to score the opening goal. Faucette followed through on a shot by senior Izzy Scott that was saved by San Jose State-committed senior goalkeeper Sky Avalos.
“I had a feeling the goalie was going to save it,” Faucette said. “So I just ran in as fast as I could and the goal was right in front of me.”
Faucette credits coach Megan Harris for her team’s aggression.
“She’s been a great coach,” Faucette said. “She’s given us the confidence to go on and win a championship. Sure, we had some pressure going in to the year, but through her coaching, we felt pretty good about going all the way.”
Faucette will play Division I college soccer at the University of San Francisco this fall.
Del Oro coaches had plenty of confidence of their own heading into the final. Assistant coach Bryan Glass said happily it was “when, not if” they win the championship before the match.
Harris said the pressure to win the championship game was lifted by the senior class, which helped mentor the younger girls.
“We had a ton of pressure heading into this season,” Harris said. “But, I think as the season went along, we started to feel good about where we were heading. I think it was really the seniors who helped our younger girls to feel comfortable in this squad.”
Faucette is one of at least four Golden Eagles heading to Division I schools for soccer. Izzy Scott has committed to Sacramento State, Dakota Harris to Eastern Washington and Leila Hawkins to Columbia.
Del Oro dominated the first half with more than 60% possession in addition to its one goal. Davis goalkeeper Avalos also deserves credit for multiple goal-saving efforts, including one off the line that was denied by the waving finger of the near-side assistant referee. Davis was going for its ninth section championship and fifth since 2016.
Harris said the second half was much more intense and her team’s defense had to turn it on.
“The second half was scary,” Harris said. “We had players that had to come off because of injuries or other issues. We had some players who had barely played this season and were able to get a few minutes. Now, after the game, I’m glad they got the opportunity to play in a big final.”
The Golden Eagles finished first in the Sierra Foothill League with just one loss. Davis also had just one loss, finishing as runner-up to top-seeded Franklin in the Delta League. Franklin was knocked off in the semifinals by Del Oro, 1-0, on a goal by Harris.
Harris and her team will now advance to the CIF Northern California regional championships, but they’re going to cherish their section crown. Del Oro is the No. 2 seed in the NorCal Division I tournament that starts Tuesday. The Golden Eagles open at home against No. 7 Amador Valley of Pleasanton.
Davis is the No. 5 seed in D-I and opens at Mitty of San Jose.
“We are so excited,” Harris said. “This was the perfect ending to what has been a truly amazing season. I couldn’t be more proud of this amazing group of girls.”
All section finalists advance to NorCals. Brackets will be released by the CIF on Sunday afternoon.
Division II
St. Francis 1, Granite Bay 0: Jada Dwyre scored on a putback and the defense was superb as the top-seeded Troubadours (20-4-3) downed the seventh-seeded Grizzlies to win their 15th section championship.
Granite Bay goalkeeper Piper Brown had a strong showing on defense but could not catch up to Dwyer’s shot. Troubadours keeper Angelina Delaini had numerous saves. Granite Bay upset second-seeded Woodcreek 2-0 and third-seeded Rocklin 4-3 on a shootout in a semifinal.
The Troubadours earned the top seed in the NorCal D-II field and open at home on Tuesday against Casa Grande of Petaluma. Granite Bay is the No. 7 seed and visits second-seeded Tamalpais.
Division III
Rio Americano 1, Oakdale 0: The fourth-seeded Raiders continued their roll, defeating the No. 2-seeded Mustangs to win the program’s seventh section crown after beating top-seeded West Park of Roseville 1-0 in the semifinals.
The Raiders (13-3-2) have an eight-match winning streak. They went 8-0-2 to win the Capital Athletic League championship. Rio Americano is the No. 6 seed in D-III and opens at No. 3 Pleasant Valley of Chico.
Division IV
Colfax 4, Placer 1: The top-seeded Falcons won their third consecutive championship — and their second in a row in this division — in a battle of Placer County programs.
Kaia Diederichs, a career 100-goal scorer, had a goal and two assists, and Maya Smiley had a goal some 24 hours after they helped their basketball team repeat as D-IV champions. The goal allowed was the first in these playoffs for Colfax (23-1-2).
Colfax through the CIF’s “competitive equity” model was moved up to the D-III bracket for the NorCal event and opens at home against No. 5 Miramonte of Orinda on Tuesday. Placer is the No. 2 seed in D-IV and hosts Torres of Madera on Tuesday.
This story was originally published February 25, 2024 at 10:48 AM.