Barnes' first-half goal seals back-to-back section titles for Ripon Christian girls soccer
The Ripon Christian girls soccer team just needed the ball to bounce its way once.
When the Knights got their first good chance in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI section title game against Big Valley Christian, they made it count.
A free kick just outside the penalty area taken by captain Alanna Blanco went toward the far post, just how the Knights practiced it. On the other end of the kick, sophomore Brooke Barnes flew in, connecting with a header that clanked off the inside of the top post and into the goal with 5 minutes, 43 seconds on the first-half clock.
'It was a relief,' said head coach David Morris. 'We've been preaching far post and give us an opportunity to do something with it. The lob that she put on that and for Brooke to get a head on it, she's a fighter, so for her to get the game winner, huge compliments to her. She's played great for us as a winger and she knew she just needed to get something on it.'
The Knights had their chances in the second half, one shot hit the side post and another hit the top crossbar, but the one goal was all they could muster. It was all they needed.
The defense, led by goalkeeper Morgan Schenk, recorded its third straight shutout in as many postseason games to secure the 1-0 win and take home Ripon christian's second section championship banner in as many seasons.
'Credit to our defense for getting another shutout,' Morris said. 'You wish we had more than one goal to feel secure but our defense just played lights out again.
'Defenders often don't get the credit that they need to get on a soccer team because they're not scoring. Our defensive unit has been solid all year. They play really tight as a team.'
The win was Ripon Christian's 15th on the season, and each of its last 10 wins has been a shutout. The Knights advance to the Northern California Regional Playoffs for the second straight season.
They moved to the Trans-Valley League this season after spending the past few years in the Southern League and they knew they would take their lumps. Morris said the team's goal in the past has been to earn a top-two seed in its league. In the TVL, the Knights were competing against the defending Division V section champion and NorCal runner-up, Hilmar, as well as tough teams in Ripon and Sonora. This year's goal was more realistic: Finish in the top four.
'We knew that winning league was not reachable for us,' he said.
But the Knights knew that playing in a strong league would only prepare them for the postseason. Their second goal was to repeat as D-VI section champions. They earned the division's top seed and, by the final whistle Saturday, checked off two of their preseason goals.
'Our girls do really well staying focused on what's in front of them,' Morris said of how they pushed through the season. 'We're not a team that gets down if we lose and don't really get up when we win. They're really steady.'
The Knights' season continues with a chance to check that final preseason goal off the list. Last season, they lost in the first round of the NorCal Regional Playoffs. This season, they want to make it farther. They will have about a week of practice before their next game to tighten up schemes and strategies and recover from nagging injuries. They're taking it one game at a time.
'In NorCals, you never know what you're going to get,' Morris said. 'Hopefully, we'll get a good seed. We'd love to play at home again. But if we can advance past the first round of NorCals, that's our goal.'
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