Cinderella run ends in 3-0 loss to Montgomery
Midnight finally struck for the Cinderella Lady Jaguars in the North Coast Section Division 1 soccer championship match on Saturday, as nationally ranked Montgomery overcame a determined Windsor squad to notch a hard-fought 3-0 win.
The title clash, played on a chilly night in front of a big crowd at Ernie Nevers Field on the Santa Rosa High School campus, was the culmination of a sensational and unlikely playoff run that featured a number of firsts for the WHS girls program.
“This was only the third time in Lady Jags soccer history that we made it as far as the NCS semifinals, and the first time we’ve made it to the finals,” head coach Mark Archambault said. “The run we made in the postseason is a testament to our will not to give up, to leave it all on the field. It was an absolutely amazing season.”
Windsor’s road to the NCS championship was fraught with peril, and featured three straight overtime victories, including two that were decided on penalty kicks. The seventh-seeded Jags opened the tournament on Nov. 2 with an overtime thriller over number 10 Santa Rosa (on penalty kicks), and continued with a 1-0 overtime victory over second-seeded league nemesis Maria Carrillo. The win set up a semifinal tilt at number three Ukiah on Nov. 9.
The match lived up to all expectations, evolving into a battle of will that would require two overtime periods and penalty kicks to break a scoreless tie.
“We knew going into the game that it would be very physical,” Archambault noted. “Having been in this position in the two previous playoff games the Lady Jags had renewed confidence.”
With each team awarded five kicks, the score was knotted at 2-2 early on. Windsor goalie Briana Davis would decide the outcome, making a huge stop on Ukiah’s third attempt. It was all the Jags needed, converting their next three attempts to emerge with an electrifying win (5-4). Scoring penalty kicks for Windsor were Davis, Megan Williman, Katie Bianchi and Emily Williman.
The reward for the win was an NCS title clash with Montgomery, a juggernaut ranked number four in the nation among all high schools.
“We knew going into the game that Monty posed some problems for us,” Archambault said. “They are a very technical team, they move well off the ball and they have excellent overall team speed. We made some adjustments to address those problems and we knew it would take a monumental effort on our part to keep us in the game.”
The upset was not in the cards for Windsor, as the Vikings controlled the flow to score three times in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Jaguars, led by a monumental effort by Davis, did not give an inch after intermission in holding off every challenge en route to a 3-0 Montgomery win.
“The players set a goal for themselves in the second half not to give up any more goals,” Archambault reflected, singling out Davis for the best effort of her high school career. “We dug our heels in and refused to give in. The defensive effort that the entire team put in was outstanding.”
Windsor ended the season with an overall record of 13-10-2.
Team notes
Junior forward Katie Bianchi finished the North Bay League season tied for second in goals scored, while junior teammate Madi Baer was the league leader in assists.
