Sierra girls soccer can’t overcome slow start vs. Vista in D-III final

Sandwiched by two defenders, Jadyn Shinn cut the ball back onto her right foot and struck a deflected shot into the goal.

However, one moment of brilliance wasn’t enough to erase a tragically slow start by the Sierra High girls soccer team in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final on Saturday afternoon at Elk Grove High.

Top-ranked Vista del Lago of Folsom took full advantage, scoring two goals in the first 23 minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over the No. 2 seed.

“You got a quality team like this and we dug ourselves a hole,” Sierra coach Manuel Pires said. “They obviously capitalized on the opportunities they created. We had to fight to get out of that mode there.”

Payton Kaestner, Emily Ormson and Hannah Trengove scored for the Eagles, an athletic bunch that crowded Shinn with two and three defenders. The sophomore with a verbal commitment to Notre Dame tallied her 42nd goal of the season in the 38th minute, but had little space to operate in the second half.

For Vista del Lago (19-2-3), the section banner is its second and first since 2012. The Eagles stormed the field after the final whistle, collecting near the 20-yard line as the Timberwolves limped away.

Senior Kyndra Kiser, whose best soccer is ahead of her at UC Merced, cried as she fell into assistant coach Monica Pires’ arms. Kiser was the hero in a quarterfinal victory over Christian Brothers, delivering a pin-point cross to Kaleigh Doyle in the final minutes.

There was no miracle save on Saturday.

“I thought the opportunities were there,” Manuel Pires said, “but we didn’t quite put them away.

“We weren’t that far off,” he added. “If we were to start the first 10 minutes like we finished the first half, this could have been a different result.”

The Timberwolves (25-2) trailed throughout, a rare position for the Manteca powerhouse.

Playing in its 11th section final in 21 seasons, Sierra found itself in a 2-0 hole for just the second time this season.

Kaestner finished a cornerkick in the opening moments to put the Valley Oak League champions on their heels.

With the wind at their backs, the Eagles played over the top of the Sierra defense. In the 23rd minister, Ormson tracked down a ball in the right corner of the penalty box.

From an almost impossible angle, Ormson fired for the far post. Sophomore goalie Callie Crain dove, but the shot missed her gloves and kissed off the post for a 2-0 lead.

“You got to give it to them. They were the better team,” Pires said. “They made the plays and scored the goals when they needed to.”

Sophomore Kayley Alvarado did all she could to keep the Timberwolves competitive. She broke up a one-on-one late in the first half with a sliding save, and then delivered an impassioned halftime speech. Alvarado was reduced to tears as she pleaded with her teammates to “give them (the fans) a show.”

In the 66th minute, Alvarado made another full-extension stop. She sprinted across the box, denying Vista del Lago an open-net shot from the edge of the 6.

Sierra had hope, and then it didn’t.

Trengove iced the game with a goal minutes later, puncturing a hole in the Timberwolves’ hope and resolve.

While the pain and frustration collected in the eyes of the players, the future remains bright for the Timberwolves, a 12-time VOL champion and four-time section winner.

Crain and Shinn represent a strong returning class that moved through the VOL with one loss, the regular season with just two setbacks, and clinched coach Pires’ 400th career win in December.

“The first two goals took us out of this game, but we never gave up and we played hard all the way through,” Pires said. “I’m excited this group made it this far and had this experience.

“For the players returning, it’s a good learning lesson for them to know how hard you have to work to get here. To win this game, you have to take another step up.”

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Sierra girls soccer can’t overcome slow start vs. Vista in D-III final."