It was a freshman fiesta in Hope Ranch on Wednesday afternoon, as ninth-graders scored all four goals for the Laguna Blanca girls soccer team in a thrilling 4-3 win over rival Cate.
Fiona Jessup’s left-foot sealed the deal, as the youngster sneaked one in just minutes before time expired to seal the victory.
“It feels awesome. Cate brought up such a tough game and it was a really good competition. After the goal I just stared at McKenzie Scarborough for about five seconds before we realized what happened,” said Jessup, who credited fellow freshman Becca Braley with screening Cate goalie Grace Gail on the play.
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Lisa Holmes and her Cate players took the loss hard, but the coach also expressed pride in the effort the Rams had put in.
“They’re a good team and they just finished a little stronger than we did. My girls played real hard and I’m proud of them. I’m not sure what more they could have done,” she said.
The Owls (11-2-1, 3-0-1 Condor League) have now beaten both Cate and Thacher this season, something that coach Gregg Luna said the program had never accomplished before… And that’s with four freshmen on the field most of the time.
“I’m very happy for the girls because they’ve worked so hard for it,” said Luna. “We didn’t get the calls we wanted today, but the girls have been handling adversity like that real well.”
Scarborough put away a cross early in the match to give Laguna and early lead, but talented Cate midfielder Annie Weis — also a freshman — soon tied it up with one of her two goals on the day. Scarborough scored the Owls’ second goal by getting her head on a corner kick by sophomore Kelsey Douglas.
Meghan Falvey tied the game at 2-2 just before halftime, and Weis struck for the second time on a left-footed looper from 15 yards out to put the visiting Rams ahead 3-2.
Braley got an equalizer for the Owls from point-blank range thanks to an Erin Stone assist, and Jessup closed things out with the winner about four minutes before the final whistle.
Laguna Blanca will go for more history on Thursday as it takes on Dos Pueblos. The Owls have never defeated a Division II opponent in any sport, according to Luna.
