Historic season ends for Pitman boys soccer in the NorCal D-II regional semifinals
The Pitman High boys soccer team was in a familiar position Thursday night, down a goal, pressing to extend the match and season.
This time, the stage was the CIF Northern California Division II regional playoffs and the opponent was Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa.
Once again, Pitman came through, scoring a goal with under 90 seconds left in regulation to force overtime for the fourth time in as many matches.
After a scoreless overtime, the Pride saw their season end in a 5-4 penalty shootout in their first trip to the regional semifinals.
With the loss, the most successful season in Pitman boys soccer history comes to an end. The Pride won 19 or more games for just the third time in program history, won the school’s first-ever section championship, advanced to their first NorCal tournament and won their first NorCal playoff game with a 3-2 overtime victory against Westmont on Tuesday.
While disappointed that they won’t advance to the program’s first regional final, Pride players and coaches were still able to reflect on how special their season was.
“Your season can end at any point during the playoffs. As a coach, I’ve won in PKs, I’ve lost in PKs,” Pitman coach Manuel Romero said. “I never take any season for granted. We had a very historic season, there’s not much I can be mad or sad about.”
Senior captain Davian Lizarraga was the hero for the Pride on Thursday night. After a corner kick, he came flying through the middle of the penalty box and connected on a header assisted by junior Keegan Pires to even the score at 1-1 late in the second half.
After Cardinal Newman scored midway through the first half and played most of the match with the lead, the Pride spent the rest of the match searching for the equalizer. For the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Pride sent nearly every player into the offensive attack every chance they had. With under two minutes left, they drew a corner kick. After the original cross was sent out, Pitman goalkeeper Isaac Padilla collected the ball just past midfield and laid it off to Pires, who sent in the game-tying cross.
“I saw the ball go to Keegan and I knew he was going to give me a good service, he doesn’t miss,” said Lizarraga. “I started going for the ball and I saw a light around the ball and I just put everything into it and put it in the back of the net.”
The goal was a product of patience, persistence and preparation. Romero and the Pride have been drilling set pieces for their entire playoff run, knowing that against better competition, converting on those would be key to staying competitive.
“All I saw was another chance,” Romero said of the goal. “We pride ourselves on set pieces and the whole time I was thinking, this is where we get the goal. Props to our keeper, you’re not gonna find many composed people in those situations.”
After no one scored in the golden goal overtime period, each side lined up for penalty kicks. The Cardinals’ sophomore goalkeeper Devon Taylor blocked the first kick by Pride leading scorer Zach Looney and Cardinal Newman converted all five of its kicks to secure the victory. Lizarraga, Anthony Zaragoza, Gerardo Munoz and Pires each converted on their tries.
“When it comes to PKs, it’s all about a 50/50 chance,” Romero said. “Their keeper came up with a big save and Cardinal Newman are very good PK takers. You can tell they train for those.”
Despite finishing third in the CCAL, the Pride hit their stride in the postseason, upsetting the No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 seeds in the Sac-Joaquin Section en route to the program’s first ever blue banner as a six seed.
They were awarded the top seed in the Division II NorCal bracket, a ranking that meant more because after their run in the section playoffs, they knew it was earned.
“Since my freshman year, we have been told we don’t deserve anything until we make it happen,” Lizarraga said. “We weren’t ever given any love, so getting that No. 1 seed in state, we knew we earned it.”
After he talked to the team and the Pride took a postgame photo, Romero talked with the senior class. Many of them started their varsity careers when he took over as the head coach in the 2022-23 season. He said he addressed each one personally, thanking them for their contributions to the program and leaving them with a final lesson.
“I was just telling them to keep being yourself,” he said of his message to the seniors. “Take this as a lesson into the next chapter, because even if you’re not playing soccer at the next level, stick with the discipline and maturity. Carry that into your college life and your career. Soccer teaches you how to lose and how to win. It teaches you to deal with moments like this. How do you keep your composure?”
Four of the Pride’s top six scorers this season return next year. They combined for 31 goals and 24 assists this season.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 11:01 AM.
