Mitty edges St. Francis in a classic for Division I title
Trailing in the 80th and final minute of regulation, Archbishop Mitty needed a miracle.
Guiseppe Sigala answered. The senior scored the most dramatic goal of his team's season, a top-shelf strike that sent the Northern California Division I regional championship game on Saturday against archrival St. Francis into sudden-death overtime tied 2-2.
Mitty, playing on its soggy home field in San Jose, ultimately prevailed 4-1 in penalty kicks to capture the program's first regional title.
But it nearly didn't get to PKs.
More drama unfolded in the extra period as Mitty goalkeeper Alan Quintero somehow got a small piece of a shot by sophomore Michael Scavotto, who was charging up the left side in the final seconds of the 15-minute overtime session, one-on-one with the keeper.
“Scary moment,” Sigala said.
Instead of St. Francis celebrating a championship goal one week after losing to Mitty in the Central Coast Section Division I final, the match went to penalty kicks.
Quintero blocked two of St. Francis' three PK attempts.
Mitty made all four of its tries, the last by Daniel Mendoza initially stopped by keeper Tomas Santa Gadea. But the ball trickled across the line for the winner to ignite a wild celebration on a cold and rainy afternoon.
Sigala, Jaxson Bettencourt and Manuel Portillo also made PKs for Mitty.
“Man, it was almost like a fairy-tale story,” Quintero said. “It was right to the very end. We were trailing 2-1. Guiseppe scores one of the greatest goals I've seen all season. Overtime, we were all over them. It being penalties, it was perfect. It was extended as long as possible, just like a final should be. It should be even. Fair.
“When the final whistle blew and we knew it was going to be penalties, I knew it was my game. I had to step up.”
David Hernandez Escobar scored in the 37th minute to give St. Francis a 1-0 lead. Mitty answered in the 45th minute when Portillo put the ball in the back of the net on a cross from Constantin Salmen to make it 1-1.
St. Francis reclaimed the advantage when Isaac Perez scored on a free kick in the 54th minute. But that only set the stage for Sigala's miraculous end to regulation and Quintero's clutch goalkeeping.
Mitty finished 20-2-1. St. Francis ended 22-2-2, losing two Mitty in back-to-back weekends.
Division I girls No. 4 Archbishop Mitty 0, No. 2 Del Oro-Loomis 0 (Mitty wins 5-3 in PKs):
After 80 minutes of regulation and 15 minutes of overtime, nothing was settled in the Northern California Division I girls soccer final on a wet and frigid Saturday night in the Sierra foothills. It came down to penalty kicks.
When Angie Cao blasted the ball into the top rightcorner of the net, Archbishop Mitty could finally exhale and celebrate.
Hours after Mitty's boys team won the school's first regional soccer championship, the girls team matched the achievement with their own regional crown.
They won on the road over Del Oro-Loomis 5-3 in PKs after the teams played to a 0-0 tie through regulation and OT.
“Total team effort against a very organized defense,” Mitty coach JT Hanley said in a text to the Bay Area News Group.
Geis, Tvesa Vathulya, Haniger, Jasmine Wheeler and Cao scored the PKs for Mitty.
Natalie Rolla was in goal for Mitty during the shootout. She nearly stopped Del Oro's third attempt. The fourth try hit the cross bar.
Mitty finished 21-2-1. Del Oro dropped to 14-2-6.
Division II boys
Burlingame 2, No. 1Dougherty Valley 1: Dylan Rossen scored a golden goal in overtime to clinch the NorCal Division II title for visiting Burlingame, which also got a goal from Altai Ordubadi.
Shota Lam scored Dougherty's goal. Michael Xiong also had a strong game for Dougherty Valley, the San Ramon school's coach, Bijan Sadeghy, said.
Sadeghy added that Dougherty had two goals disallowed in overtime.
Burlingame finished its season 18-4-1. Dougherty dropped to 19-6-4.
Division III boys
No. 1 Newark Memorial 2, No. 6 Cardinal Newman 1: Newark Memorial capped off an incredible season with a NorCal championship as an own goal by Cardinal Newman in the 64th minute broke a 1-1 tie and accounted for the decisive margin.
The Cougars clamped down defensively in the final minutes to secure the victory.
In stoppage time, Cardinal Newman was awarded a free kick. The ball fell in front of Newark Memorial goalie Eriberto Bermudez and was cleared before Cardinal Newman could attempt a shot.
Noel Cabrales scored Newark's first goal early in the second half after Newark was awarded a penalty kick. Bermudez had 11 saves.
Newark Memorial finished 24-1-3.