Chico silences Shasta in semifinals
Panthers’ win sets up section final against PV
CHICO >> The strong winds didn’t seem to change how both teams looked to approach the semifinals of the Northern Section Division I girls soccer playoffs, but the outcome was convincing and exactly what the Chico High Panthers were looking for.
After a 3-0 loss to the Pleasant Valley Vikings earlier in the season, the Panthers narrowly escaped the second time around with a 2-1 win against their crosstown rivals, giving them a home playoff match. The second-place Panthers kept the momentum rolling Tuesday, defeating the Shasta Wolves 4-0.
The ball seemed to be on a string for the Panthers in the first half, especially in the midfield and up top. Sophomore striker Juliana Carranza had a one-onone with the Wolves’ goalkeeper. After an original offside call, the linesman pulled his flag down, and while the defense stopped, Carranza continued with her run, only for the Wolves’ goalie to make a fingertip save, keeping the game scoreless.
At 23 minutes into the first half, the scoring opened up. After Carranza held the ball up for support to come, she played junior captain Rachael George down the line. After beating her first defender with an inside chop, she played the ball across to junior midfielder Allie Barajas, who placed her shot in the bottom right corner.
The synergy of the Panther attack wasn’t forced, it looked to come naturally — ground balls into one another’s feet and attempting to make the right pass. Two minutes into the second half, a ball was played in the air, over the Wolves’ defense, and soared out of bounds. Panthers head
coach Tiberiu Marinescu immediately motioned his hands to the ground, reminding his team to keep it simple.
Marinescu said it was a conscious effort to play simple and where his team thrives the most.
“We strive to keep the ball away from the opponent as long as we can and create very dangerous situations,” Marinescu said. “The girls executed that today, and I was very happy.”
Keeping it simple: In the ninth minute of the second half Carranza was rewarded with a goal after being a distributor up top for the rest of the team. A through ball — on the ground — found its way behind the Wolves’ back line, and she placed her shot into the bottom left corner.
Closing the door shut on the game was junior defender Teya Gibbs, who
scored off a header in the 23rd minute and 10 minutes later placed a shot in the left corner, out of the goalie’s reach.
The Shasta Wolves had a few threatening moments, a few of those coming from corner kicks. The Wolves were knocking the ball around well when they had it in their attacking third; however, they weren’t able
to find the back of the net in either half.
Head coach Steven Hofferber said with the wind, it could be anyone’s game, and he liked the way his team stays ready for a challenge.
“It’s always difficult to come here to Chico or Pleasant Valley, but I thought we handled ourselves well in the first half,”
Hofferber said.
Despite loss and visible disappointment to the end of the season, the Wolves have an up-and-coming group to fill in for the eight departing seniors.
“We have really strong juniors and a huge, strong sophomore class — we’ve got a lot of good young talent and we have a bright future,” Hofferber said.
With this win, the Panthers advance to the championship, and while a 4-0 win is worth celebrating, Marinescu says the girls can still improve.
“What I told them in the first half is we need to improve on two things: less balls bouncing in the middle, because they become dangerous opportunities, and definitely take more shots,” Marinescu said.
The Panthers will look to build on this game in the next, and most important thus far, against the Pleasant Valley Vikings on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 12 p.m. at Pleasant Valley High School. The trilogy is set.