Rio Hondo blanks MJC soccer in state semifinals
Modesto Junior College’s Cinderella postseason run has come to an end.
The Pirates’ women’s soccer team reached the State Final Four before it collided with a good Rio Hondo team, which blanked MJC 3-0 Friday in the semifinals at De Anza College in Cupertino.
The Roadrunners’ Andrea Sanchez scored a hat trick, featuring two of the three goals before halftime, to make it a long day for MJC (18-5-2).
Rio Hondo (17-1-4) will meet Cerritos, a 3-1 victor over Fresno, in an All-Southern California final on Sunday at 10 a.m. at De Anza.
Modesto, third in the state with 83 goals entering the semifinal, couldn’t ignite its attack. Rio Hondo, which had allowed only two goals since Oct. 20, outshot the Pirates 15-5 and dominated the run of play.
“They were scrappers with speed and were physical,” MJC coach Steve Aristotelous said. “Southern California soccer is the real deal. They have a dense population to draw from.”
The Pirates were thrown off-balance in the game’s sixth minute when Janeth Acuna, after a long run, dished to Sanchez, whose shot beat MJC goalkeeper Ashley Almeida.
Sanchez scored again on a penalty kick late in the half, following a foul against Harleen Pabla. Late in the match, Sanchez completed her big day after a corner by Acuna. The corner was set up by Almeida’s diving save.
MJC forward Jenna Viss challenged Rio Hondo goalkeeper Christina Holguin, but the Pirates failed to mount a sustained threat.
“We fell behind and had to chase,” Aristotelous said. “We finally had to take some risks, and sometimes you get punished. You can’t just stand there and lose 1-0.”
Modesto advanced to the Final Four with a thrilling run in the playoffs. The Pirates eliminated Las Positas, San Francisco (which had not lost to a NorCal team) and, in the quarterfinals, top-seeded and previously unbeaten Santa Rosa 2-1.
We fell behind and had to chase. We finally had to take some risks, and sometimes you get punished. You can’t just stand there and lose 1-0.
Steve Aristotelous
“We moved the ball around all right, but we weren’t tenacious,” Aristotelous said. “It’s hard, after maybe the biggest win in school history, to find your energy again. This was a fun season. Back in July, I didn’t think we could do this.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Rio Hondo blanks MJC soccer in state semifinals."