The Rams Women’s Soccer Team Charges Ahead in the Playoffs After a Lights-Out Victory Against The College of the Sequoias Giants

 

 

By John R. Adkins
jradproduction@gmail.com

Coming fresh off their second straight 2024 Coast Conference North Division championship, the Rams women’s soccer team ignited their 14th straight finals appearance with a 2-0 shutout of the College of the Sequoias on Saturday, Nov. 24.

The team defensively held back the College of the Sequoias, with the midfielders maintaining control over the game and both goals coming from more than twenty yards out.

It was the second round of the Northern California regional playoffs, with the Rams entering with a No. 4 seed. As a top-eight seed, they received an opening-round bye.

This was the first face-off between the Rams and the Giants this season. The Sequoia Giants placed third in the Central Valley Conference and plowed through the first round of the playoffs by defeating the Canada Colts 1-0 after going 9-6-4 during the regular season.

The sun broke through the previous week’s storm surge for a cool yet dry afternoon on the field. The stands were lined with fans wrapped in jackets and blankets while the Rams’ footwork ran hot on the turf. The Rams started off the first half by almost indefinitely holding the ball on the offensive side. Each pass knifed the ball easily through the pattern of well-positioned players, and they rarely let up.

Early on, Nadia Barron Santiago passed towards the net, where Ashley Rabara was already waiting to strike the first shot on goal. Carmen Hinton held back at the apex of the midfielders’ formation as a dominant force that kept the ball held down in the Giants’ territory throughout most of the game.

Sydney Grundland Lanuza’s header sent the ball right back towards the net but was caught by the goalie. The Giants players tried to pass the ball back up the green, but the wall of defenders stopped them short.

 

 

“Our middle worked together really well, defensively we held the shutout through the game, and that’s always a good thing,” explained Arpan Bahia.

Chelsea Sandoval made two back-to-back long-range kicks, placing the ball right in front of the net both times. This allowed Angelina St. Denis to make a swift pass to Catherine Cordova Bobadilla before the ball was snagged again by the Giants goalie.

The Rams refused to ease off the pressure. Anahi Gomez made a powerful shot toward the goal that landed on top of the net. A City College fan could be heard yelling, “Way to fight for it!” from the sidelines.

Lanuza struck the ball from midfield range, which traveled through the air with a misleading arc and slipped right past the goalie and into the net for the first goal of the game.

 

 

Paige Pineda-Aliamus then stole the ball right back from under the Giant’s feet at the center line and sent it straight back into enemy territory.

Rhiana Gardon landed a hard strike from a ways back, which ricocheted off the crossbar. Bahia took charge from midfield range, passing the ball back to her players to hold the attack before intercepting another pass with a header. The Rams managed another shot before halftime, once again leaving the ball on top of their opponent’s goalnet.

 

The College of the Sequoias started the second half with a swift kick into Rams territory, but Rams goalie, Bailey Perales, was there to send it straight back out.
It wasn’t long before the Rams once again warmed up to find their groove. Rabara stole the ball in top gear and fired off a clean shot on goal that didn’t quite make it in.

Mid-fielder Nare Avetian regained control from behind the penalty area and shot the ball, which quickly sailed over the other players and arced down straight into the right-hand corner of the goal, just out of reach of the goalie’s hands.

“Our midfield is fantastic,” Assistant Coach Nasser Abdulkariem said. “I mean, they controlled the game, obviously, with both goals coming from our mids. They executed by keeping that ball low on a tough keeper. So they clearly were the women of the match.”

Even when the ball went out of bounds and the Rams lost possession, they quickly regained control and continued to command the green, making interceptions and juggling the ball between the players.

“We just kept attacking and attacking. We didn’t really give up, and one of the things we knew that this team did well was counterattack. I thought we went back on defense because we knew we had to, so I think that saved us at some moments,” Avetian said.

 

The Giants remained determined not to go down so easily, and their center midfielder helped keep the Rams on their toes with multiple interceptions at the center line in the second half.

Lanuza passed the ball to Avetian down the sideline before getting it to Rabara, who managed to knock the ball off toward the goal under pressure before it was picked up by the Giants’ goalie.

With less than 15 minutes left in the game, the defenders temporarily locked up the Rams, and the Giants kicked the ball from the half-line, only to land straight in the arms of the goalie.

“We need to be more clinical in front of the goal, especially in the final third to make that last run,” Abdulkariem said.

In the final moments of the game, the ball was kicked straight to the corner of the field before being returned to Lanuza, who fired off one more shot on goal, closing out the game with eight shots on goal for the imposing team.

“Anytime you get to the playoffs, you’re always going to play really talented teams, and I thought we did a good job matching up,” said Head Coach Jeff Wilson. “I think the fact that we could play so many of our players and we all seemed cohesive was very important. It didn’t matter who was on the field; everybody bought into working hard and doing what they could for the rest of their teammates on the field.”

 

 

Avetian said, “This win was a good win. We played well, played strong, so we have a good mentality going into the next game.”

The team moves on to the third round of the finals, where it will face top-ranked Fresno City College in a tough match-up.

“Fresno was, I think, number two in the state most of the season until they stumbled a little bit. We tied in the last game, and then they lost a game, so they fell right behind us in the standings. Thank God we don’t have to drive to Fresno,” Abdulkariem said.

Despite this being their 14th straight finals appearance, the Rams women’s soccer team has not made it to the state championships since 2013. They suffered a loss in the third round of the playoffs last season, which sent them packing up their athletic bags for the semester.

The team is set to face Fresno City College with their home-field advantage on Tuesday, Nov. 26.