Hilmar outlasts Gustine to claim school’s fourth section soccer title

Hilmar goalie Francisco Lepe walked the track at Stagg High following a 3-1 victory over Gustine, reveling in the program’s fourth Sac-Joaquin Section championship.

It took the top-seeded Yellowjackets 100 minutes of soccer and a penalty kick shootout to repel the pesky Redskins in the Division VI final, but for Lepe – a first-year goalie – the journey to the mountaintop has been a much longer climb.

Lepe, a savior throughout the postseason, wasn’t on coach Louie Bettencourt’s radar a year ago. He wasn’t even enrolled at Hilmar High.

“I was at Irwin and my goal was to come back to high school and play for Hilmar,” Lepe said of Irwin High, a continuation school located on the same grounds. “I’m so proud. It’s been an honor to play on this team.”

In his first and only season between the pipes, Lepe carried the Yellowjackets to a championship banner. He finished with eight saves, including a sprawling stop on Adrian Hernandez’s low drive during the penalty kick shootout.

That save set the stage for captain Joshua Martinez to be the hero on Hilmar’s final turn of the first round. The midfielder stepped to the spot with a plan already in mind, one he executed to a tee: A crisp shot down the middle, clinching a 3-1 victory over Hilmar.

Adrian Yepez and Michael Cardoso also converted PKs for Hilmar (17-4-2), which celebrated with a dance party at midfield.

“This one is definitely the hardest one that we’ve won,” said Bettencourt, whose program had titles in 1999, 2004 and 2006. “We’ve never gone into extra time or shootouts. This one was a test of our endurance ... but the cream rose to the top.”

Martinez said a plan helped take the anxiety out of soccer’s toughest shot. He studied Yahir Padilla’s tendencies during the first four shooters and allowed the goalie to create his window.

“They can get you really nervous, but if you know what you’re doing, you just have to place it in that spot and make it count,” Martinez said. “I knew the goalie liked to dive. I thought, ‘If he likes to dive, he’s just guessing.’ So I put it down the middle, where he’d least expect it.”

The game was tied 1-1 after regulation.

Gustine (17-10-4) took advantage of a defensive breakdown by Hilmar in the opening minutes.

The Yellowjackets attempted an ill-advised pass in front of their own goal, committing one of soccer’s cardinal sins. Jesus Quezada intercepted and fired an 18-yard shot inside the left post to make it 1-0 in the third minute.

The shot ticked off Lepe’s mitts.

Bettencourt blamed the rocky start on the stage and atmosphere at Coaches Stadium. Hilmar was making its first appearance in a section final since 2009.

“We had a lot of players that had never been here, so they never really settled down,” Bettencourt said. “Gustine was a great team and it could have been anyone’s game. We kept putting pressure on them and in the end, the better team won.”

Hilmar settled after the early blunder and dictated the action with the ball at Yepez’s feet.

The slick midfielder worked a give-and-go with Brian Millan in the 29th minute, and then slid a through pass to Cardoso. With a defender on his hip, Cardoso tucked his shot inside the far post before tumbling to the artificial surface.

He celebrated on his back along the end line, fists thrown to the sky.

The game would remain deadlocked for the next 71 minutes – 51 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes.

Padilla had seven saves, including one of his own in the shootout as Gustine pushed the Yellowjackets to the brink.

Hilmar swept the season series with the Redskins. On Sept 9, the Yellowjackets blanked Gustine 3-0 in a non-league game.

“The second time around they were a much different team. They had nothing to lose,” Martinez said. “The first game was like a scrimmage. This was for something; it was for the championship.

“We both came out to play. We settled down and didn’t give in. They didn’t, either, but we wanted it more.”

Perhaps no one wanted it more than Lepe, Hilmar’s comeback kid. Even Bettencourt could sense that.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Bettencourt said. “I’ve tried to instruct him, ‘Leave it on the field, work hard and get to every shot.’ He’s been our rock back there.”

Weston Ranch 2, Oakdale 0 in Stockton – Omar Centeno scored both goals for the Cougars, who won their second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Centeno’s first goal came on a cross from Kevin Medina in the 13th minute; the second from Joseph Mayorca in the 70th.

The Mustangs had one legitimate scoring chance in 80 minutes, hitting the crossbar in the fifth minute They didn’t threaten the rest of the way. In fact, Oakdale had more cards (six yellow, one red) than it did shots on goal (five) in the contest.

The Cougars won the Division IV title last year, but moved up to D-III this year to take the crown that Oakdale claimed last season.

Summerville 6, Linden 1 in Stockton – Braden Anderson had five goals as the Bears won their second consecutive section title in impressive fashion, knocking off Mother Lode League rival Linden in the Division V final. Anderson broke a 1-1 tie in the second half with back-to-back goals in a four-minute span. Summerville won the Division VI title in 2014.

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Hilmar outlasts Gustine to claim school’s fourth section soccer title."