Ripon Christian soccer’s success in spotlight begins behind the scenes

RIPON – The once-pristine soccer field has been turned over and flattened into a dirt canvas for those in hard hats, not shinguards and cleats.

Eventually, a 1,500-seat athletic facility will rise from this private school plot, creating space for future football and soccer players at Ripon Christian.

Until then, the girls soccer team – one of the best small-school programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section – has been pushed onto a back lot. There, they practice and play out of sight, concealed by classrooms.

Not that they mind.

Blessed with ample amounts of athleticism and experience and a rising soccer star, these Knights do some of their best work behind the scenes.

On paper, Ripon Christian is the prohibitive favorite to win its second consecutive Division VII final. The Knights are the tournament’s No. 1 seed and looked the part during Wednesday’s semifinal.

Cynthia Van Vliet tallied two goals, including the dagger in the 60th minute, as Ripon Christian advanced to the D-VII final for the third year in a row with a 4-1 victory over Vacaville Christian.

Sam Carvalho and Abby Buitrago also found the back of the net for the Knights, who have outscored opponents 22-3 during a five-game postseason winning streak.

Ripon Christian will play the winner of Forest Lake Christian-Western Sierra on Saturday at a site yet to be determined.

“In some cases, I wish we would have been tested a little more or been forced to work harder on defense,” coach Kevin Tameling said before the game. “But the good thing is that it gives the girls confidence moving forward.”

The proving ground has been on the practice field, that grass laboratory behind campus. Out there, Tameling is a mad scientist in shorts and a T-shirt, not a lab coat and glasses, unleashing a prolific playoff offense on an unheralded defense.

The sharpening knife wears gold boots and a long ponytail.

Sophomore Abby Buitrago has become the face of the program and a stone-cold assassin in the attacking third. She began the day tied for the state lead in goals with 41, and with Wednesday’s late goal, now has 93 for her career.

She has a unique ability to break down defenses with the dribble, picking her way through crowded penalty boxes and double teams. She can finish from distance, as witnessed by an 18-yard blast last week.

And when teams pack it in, cutting off the running lanes, Buitrago, humble and team-oriented, can drop back into the midfield, facilitating for her teammates. She has a team-high nine assists.

“She’s had to find ways to make an impact on games outside of just scoring goals,” Tameling said. “She’s worked hard on setting up teammates and she’d have more assists if we finished some of those shots.”

Her presence in practice has kept the Knights’ protectors on high alert.

Tameling takes care of the tempo, designing dual-purpose drills to keep the defense from slipping into a malaise while sharpening his attack.

But Buitrago provides the ultimate challenge.

Third-year fullback Jessica Van Vliet says the defense welcomes the pressure, whether it comes in games or at practice.

“We love the games when they’re harder,” she said, “because the defense gets to do a little more.

“(Our offense), they do make it easy for the defense because of their intensity,” she later added. “We’ve got to be ready, no matter what.”

Though they’ve been overshadowed for much of the season, the defense does own a stake in the program’s Southern League crown and No. 1 overall seed.

Ripon Christian has 12 shutouts, including nine straight to open league play. Senior goalie Bryanna Heida had 85 saves, building on a breakout junior season. Heida was one of the heroes in Ripon Christian’s penalty-kick shootout win over Millennium in last year’s D-VII final.

Van Vliet is joined by two freshmen, Paige Vos, a vocal leader along the back line, and Kelly Engel, as well as senior Ellen Blankers.

Buitrago believes the Knights’ defense is capable of winning a section title on its own.

She gets no argument from Van Vliet.

“Teams are expecting us to come in with this great offense,” Van Vliet said. “Us defenders, we have to prepare just as hard. We’re waiting for that challenge.”

It starts today ... on their back-lot practice field, where the Knights prepare behind the scenes, taking their cues from Tameling.

“It’s not about the games. It’s about the practices,” he said. “Every day this defense is seeing a very fast, very dynamic attack coming at them. We try to create a game-like atmosphere.

“The quality each player brings to the program makes each player better. When they compete against one another in practice, their intensity and focus continues to go up.”

This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Ripon Christian soccer’s success in spotlight begins behind the scenes."