Early goal helps Sage Hill girls’ soccer top Los Amigos in CIF opener
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The Sage Hill School girls’ soccer team was ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 poll for part of the season.
Though the Lightning dropped to No. 9 in the final poll, there was still the sense they had a chance at a deep playoff run.
“I think if we play well and play with the heart that they have, I think we have a very good chance of making everybody’s day difficult,” first-year Sage Hill coach Isaac Sierra said. “We just have to do our best to make every game difficult and never give up on it, because the game will reward you if you do.”
Sage Hill began that postseason journey Thursday with a hard-fought victory.
Sophomore forward Sarah Shu scored on the 10th minute, assisted by freshman Ava Wright, as the Lightning earned a 1-0 victory at Los Amigos in a CIF Southern Section Division 6 wild-card match.
Sage Hill (8-5-4) plays at Anaheim in the first round Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Lightning, who finished third in the San Joaquin League, dominated possession early against Garden Grove League runner-up Los Amigos (12-6). Sage Hill junior Elaine He had her shot from well outside the box clang off the left goalpost just minutes into the match.
The tenacity paid off. After Wright kept a ball in at the left sideline, she served a cross into the box. The initial shot was saved but Shu put away a rebound goal, giving Sage Hill the advantage.
An early lead helped the Lightning on the warm afternoon, with temperatures in the mid-80s.
“It makes us feel a lot better about CIF,” said senior midfielder Lauren Graham, a difference-maker in the middle along with fellow seniors Anisha Punia and Zayna Lateef. “It was definitely a difficult game. It’s just hot, we’re not used to the heat.”
Los Amigos’ defense, anchored by senior goalkeeper Stephanie Tamayo and senior center back Lauren Knoob, would not concede a goal for the rest of the contest. The Lobos relied on counterattack runs by players like senior Tiffany Rodriguez and sophomore Alexandra Castelan.
But the Sage Hill defense of senior goalkeeper Lainey Cauffman, as well as players like senior Ann Wood and sophomores Alex Gomez, Sophie Qui and Jackie Lee, was up to the challenge.
“We dealt with a little bit of adversity, dealing with their big ball and the sun and [the Lobos] playing downhill,” Sierra said. “We did what we needed to do. It’s exciting. You’ve got to enjoy those moments. I appreciate the girls’ hard work and their abilities and desires to deal with the pressure of those moments. It’s fun. That’s why we play, we play for those exciting moments.”
Los Amigos saw its season end, and it also represented the end of an era. Knoob and Rodriguez, four-year varsity players, were freshmen on the 2018-19 Los Amigos team that won the CIF Southern Section Division 5 title.
Knoob saved Los Amigos’ bacon several times during Thursday’s match.
“She deserved a great season and deserved a great sendoff today,” Los Amigos co-coach Rafael Marquez said. “She battled for us all the way … We just kind of ran of time, but you know, that’s a great team over there. [Sage Hill is] a really good, technically sound team, and they kept fighting and definitely put pressure on our girls throughout the game.”
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