Gregori soccer player scores in first match since father’s death. ‘My dad helped me.’

The clouds broke. A rainbow appeared just beyond the goal. And suddenly, this 30-yard free kick didn’t seem so daunting.

For a few moments, Gregori High senior Katie Molthen’s life was whole again. She had soccer. She could feel her father’s presence. And soon, the Jaguars would be staked to a 1-0 lead in a Modesto Metro Conference game with Downey on Thursday afternoon.

With a powerful right foot, Molthen, a four-year varsity starter, launched a shot into a crowded penalty box. The ball crashed off the post and into the net, a miraculous shot given all that she and the Gregori soccer program had endured this week.

“My dad definitely helped me,” she said with tears collecting in her eyes and friends nearby for support. "It just felt amazing to score for him. My dad meant everything to me.”

Luke Molthen, a father to four girls and a longtime assistant soccer coach, died Tuesday morning of an apparent heart attack after leaving the In-Shape Health Club on Sisk Road in Modesto. His wife, Sallie Molthen, found him parked on the roadside unconscious and behind the wheel. Paramedics did their best to restart his heart, working for nearly an hour on the 50-year-old, but he was gone.

Not for long, though. Gregori coach Mike Catzalco and Katie say "coach Luke," a first-year assistant with the program, was with the team this week in spirit, helping them through a tough stretch in their schedule

Spurred on by Katie’s free kick, the Jaguars topped Downey 2-0 to remain in a two-way tie with rival Enochs atop the MMC.

"It was beautiful," Catzalco said of her long-distance goal. "I kind of knew it was going to happen — it had to happen. It was part of the script."

On Friday, about 200 spectators took in the Jaguars’ showdown with Enochs, the defending conference champions. The clash was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but athletic directors Jim Davis (Gregori) and Randy Rubio (Enochs) agreed to move the match to Friday after learning of Molthen’s death.

Despite all of her heartache, Katie said she never once considered sitting out the games.

“I wanted to play as soon as I could,” she said. “(Soccer) means everything to me.”

Enochs escaped with a 1-0 victory on Friday. Jaedyn Sanders scored the game-winning goal on a through ball in the 74th minute. Sanders beat two defenders and notched her 20th goal of the season with a high shot into the far corner.

The result was secondary, though, for both sides.

The emotions of a rivalry game quickly subsided, giving way to camaraderie, sportsmanship and genuine love.

“We were’t even thinking about first place. In fact, we didn’t mention it one time,” Catzalco said. "We didn’t mention our standing or anything like that. … Our focus wasn’t on placement. We want to win, obviously, but we wanted to play together … to come together and support one another. We wanted to help Katie through this and the girls did an awesome job.”

After the match, the two teams gathered in front of the Gregori bench for a moment of remembrance. Enochs senior Gabrielle Wilmot presented Katie, a former club teammate with the Modesto Ajax, with flowers.

“Katie and I have played soccer every since we were little,” Wilmot said. “Luke, her dad, was my coach and his passing took a toll on a lot of people. He touched a lot of hearts. He’s been in our soccer family for as long as I can remember. He was such a great guy and it was really sad. I wanted to take a moment to go and show my appreciation for him. Even though we’re rivals on the field, we’re not rivals off the field. Katie is like part of my family and coach Luke was the light. I always looked up to him."

Said Enochs’ first-year coach Michael Beeman: “The girls know each other. It’s close community out here. The soccer players know each other and many of them have a long history. It’s nice to see them support each other.”

Katie appreciated the gesture.

She says the support she’s felt the last few days — from her friends and teammates, classmates and the community — has helped with the grieving. Among those that came to Friday’s game to lift the heavy hearts of the Jaguar program: two Central Catholic soccer players, members of the Gregori baseball, basketball and football teams, and baseball coaches Bruce McCoy and Jim Davis.

“The more the better,” she said. “It felt good that even the opponents, they’re helping me through this process.”

After the crowd had dispersed Friday, Catzalco, standing on a cluttered sideline, marveled at the strength shown by Katie, his star player, in the wake of such a tragic event.

“Katie is one of the strongest people I know, adult or student,” he said. “I think it says she really wanted to be out here with her friends and try to feel the love we’ve been trying to communicate with her the last couple of days. She just wanted to be back in her environment, where she really shines."

A rosary for “coach Luke” will be held Wednesday at Franklin & Downs Funeral Home on McHenry Avenue at 6 p.m. A mass is scheduled for Thursday at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church on J Street at 10 a.m. He is survived by his wife, Sallie Molthen, and four daughters: Elizabeth Laws (31), Amanda Stone (29), and Faith (20) and Katie (18) Molthen.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Gregori soccer player scores in first match since father’s death. ‘My dad helped me.’."