The Lady Tigers are breathing rarified air this week in the North Coast Section Division 3 soccer playoffs, dispatching two opponents to advance to the tournament semifinals.
The No. 4 seeded Tigers easily defeated No. 13 Piner, 6-0 in the NCS opener on Feb. 14 and slipped past No. 5 Alhambra on Saturday, 1-0. The wins set up an NCS semifinal clash at No. 1 ranked Miramonte on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Should the Tigers win, they’ll advance to play the survivor of the No. 2 Petaluma versus No. 3 Campolindo match in the NCS title game on Saturday, Feb. 23 (site and time TBD).
Ladies on a roll
The Lady Tigers made short work of visiting Piner in the NCS opener, catching fire after a slow start to win going away. Leading 1-0 at the half, Analy exploded for five unanswered goals after intermission en route to a 6-0 rout. Goal scorers for the Tigers included Zaida Jenkins, Tannin Klunis, Macee Wacholz (2), Isabel Housman and Aramara Garcia. Assists came from Carissa Cortez (2), Wacholz, Klunis and Garcia. Goalie Kaija Bazzano recorded the shutout for Analy.
The Tigers were locked in a tight struggle in Saturday’s quarterfinal home clash with Alhambra, a match that tested both skill and resolve. Following a scoreless first half, Analy got what proved to be the game winner in the second frame when Klunnis converted a loose ball after a corner kick to take the lead. The Tigers dug in their heels in the final minutes to preserve a 1-0 victory.
“We played some of our best soccer to date,” Analy coach Brittney Briones said. “The girls really got stuck in, fought for every ball, played with fight and heart.”
Analy boys fall to Ygnacio Valley
The Analy boys (9-7-3) were peaking at the right time when they took the field as the No. 14 seed in the NCS Division 3 playoffs, traveling to face No. 3 seeded Ygnacio Valley on Feb. 13. The Tigers were up to the task, keeping the match scoreless until midway into the second half, when the Warriors converted a shot from 30 yards out to grab the lead. Analy nearly knotted the contest with a minute left in regulation, but a would-be goal was waved off by the referee as Ygnacio Valley hung on for a 1-0 win.
“The season overall was very successful,” veteran Tigers coach Peter Meechan reflected. “We played every team tight, and we’re very young so I expect the next few years we will improve each year.”
