Chico girls join elites in Northern California
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It would not be a fair argument to say that the Chico High girls soccer team wasn’t on the map before the 2021-2022 season, having won a NorCal Division V State title in 2020. However, two things standout about that…
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Continue ReadingIt would not be a fair argument to say that the Chico High girls soccer team wasn’t on the map before the 2021-2022 season, having won a NorCal Division V State title in 2020.
However, two things standout about that 2020 title. First, it was Division V, the division that most Northern Section teams get thrown into, and, secondly, Chico played its crosstown rival, Pleasant Valley, in what probably felt like a replay of the section title game.
Saturday’s win over Marin Academy in penalty kicks, where the Panthers won the NorCal Division III title, beating a Bay Area powerhouse in the process, puts Chico squarely in the discussion as one of the best programs in Northern California.
“This means a lot for us,” Chico coach Sarah Parker said. “The girls of Chico deserve the credit, they deserve this win. The fact that we made it up to DIII and won is huge. It says a lot for our community and says a lot for our girls.”
What’s more, is that this was not a surprise for the Panthers as they planned to be in this game from the first day of practice.
“I thought we’d be here,” Parker said. “These girls are so talented and they have so much grit and they play hard. What makes these girls from Chico so special is the hard work. They were so tired, you could see how tired they were, and they persevered through that extra 15 minutes. Our girls worked incredibly hard.”
The leader by example, as far as hard work is concerned, is the extraordinary forward, senior Priscilla Ward Priscilla Ward F CA , who scored the Panthers goal in the 1-1 draw before it was settled in penalties, which gave her 61 goals on the season.
“She is a special player,” Parker said. “She’s a hard worker, she works before and after practice, she comes on the weekends. She has her mind set on what it is that she wants and she works incredibly hard to get it. She’s a phenomenal player and keeps getting better.”
Ward was a constant threat all day, quickly showing the Wildcats defense that she isn’t just a standout in the Northern Section, but is clearly one of the best players in all of Northern California. But for her, the focus is proving that her school deserves to be considered a soccer power.
“I think Chico definitely deserves to be on the map,” Ward said. “Chico means a lot to me, it’s my hometown, my small town. I love being from a small town and I love being on an underdog team. A lot of people don’t know we are when we come to places like the Bay Area and it’s fun because we can come represent our town well.”
After missing their first PK, the Panthers were cool in taking the rest as Emma Gyllenhammer, Taylor Dever Taylor Dever M CA and Tatym Dever Tatym Dever D CA made the next three. After the Wildcats missed their first two, but buried the next three, it set up Ward in the fifth spot with a chance to win the State title if she put her kick away.
She buried it in the bottom left corner, and after a brief processing delay, sent the Panthers into a frenzy.
“We didn’t plan it like that, there were a couple of misses and honestly when I shot it I wasn’t sure if we had won yet because I wasn’t calculating it in my head,” Ward said. “It took me a minute to realize we had won. After I shot it I fell and I was in a different world, after I realized it it just felt so amazing.”
Chico set the lofty goal of winning the State title on the first day of practice, and did not backdown from the challenge, despite not being pushed in many of their games in the regular season. The Panthers wanted to play competition like they got in the NorCal bracket from Lincoln-Stockton, Los Altos and ultimately Marin Academy. They embraced the challenge of playing these teams.
“These are the kind of games we’ve been wanting all season. We always want more competition to grow as a player so when we saw we were in D3 we were just really happy,” sophomore midfielder Mylee Yuill Mylee Yuill F CA said. ” Winning the State title is just an amazing feeling. I feel like we worked hard for this all season and it’s just so well deserved, so many emotions but I could not be more proud of this team right now. It was definitely our number one goal, but being in the moment is just remarkable.”
The drive to want to face top teams from outside their area and to achieve such a lofty goal comes from an internal fortitude that exists within the team spirit, and is embodied in senior leaders like midfielder Taylor Dever Taylor Dever M CA .
“We have a team of competitively driven players, and we are very goal oriented. And at the very first practice we just said we were going to win a State championship,” Dever said. “”I can’t really explain the feeling, there was just so much joy for me and my teammates. I think there was a little bitter sweetness because I know it’s our senior year and it’s the last game, but all around it’s just a great feeling.”
For sophomore defenders Reese Burke and Rachael George, this is how they wanted to help their seniors depart.
“Our seniors are amazing and so talented, it’s so nice to be able to send them off with a State title,” Burke said. “In a game like this, you’re working for your teammates and then when you look over and see those seniors, it’s definitely a motivation.”
George was elated that the team achieved the goal that it set out for itself on day one of the season.
“This is what we have been talking about since our first practice, our goal was to win State, that was literally the first conversation that we had,” George said. “I can’t even explain it, the feeling that just rushed through me, I literally can’t explain it. I’m just so proud of us, I’m just so proud. This is the best team I’ve played on and we’ve come so far and worked so hard. It really paid off and it shows.”
Marin Academy got the first goal, and impressive strike from Becca Sherry in the 13th minute when she got the ball with her back turned to goal, turned and got off a rocket left-footed strike to take a 1-0 lead. To that point the Wildcats had been in control.
“After the first 15-20 minutes I thought our girls would find a way to win the game comfortably,” Marin Academy coach Josh Kalkstein said. “But to be fair to Chico they came back in the game.”
And that the Panthers did, not just settling in, but controlling most of the game from that point, leveling match thanks to Ward following up a saved PK in the 30th minute, and nearly scoring multiple times the remainder of the match as they created most of the chances.
“I think they needed to settle in,” Parker said of her girls. “It takes a few minutes for them to figure out what we are up against, and also there are nerves, but once the girls really just get settled on the field, then we played our game. Marin Academy is a great team, they battled hard as well.”
“For our girls it was about their mentality and grit, and even though our style didn’t show itself as well today, a lot of that has to do with Chico,” Kalkstein said. “They are very good side athletically, very athletic in the middle of the park, their center back is a good athlete and Priscilla is just a handful.”
Of all the top performances, nine players between the two teams really stood out.
Reese Burke, Chico, Sophomore, Central Defender
Burke was very strong against the size that Marin Academy offered up top. She’s not the biggest defender, but she plays hard, does not back down and keeps the back line organized. On Saturday, she seemed to get every touch and challenge just right.
Taylor Dever Taylor Dever M CA , Chico, Senior, Midfielder
Dever was a great source of ball movement and displayed great vision in the midfield on Saturday. She showed a great first touch, she switched play very well and she went from box-to-box and made an impact in both aspects of the match.
Rachael George, Chico, Sophomore, Outside Defender
George had the task of taking on a speedy winger in Imogen Jenkyn Imogen Jenkyn F CA and despite the challenge, held her own. She is a small defender who is not afraid. She makes smart decisions, can win balls in the air and can stay with quick forwards an wingers.
Halle Hanna Halle Hanna F CA , Marin Academy, Senior, Forward
Hanna showed grit, determination and a winning mentality. She played with great effort, heart and desire. She showed great pace down the right side, creating danger throughout the day. She showed a deft touch with the ball at her feet.
Imogen Jenkyn Imogen Jenkyn F CA , Marin Academy, Sophomore, Forward
Jenkyn was a standout on Saturday, wreaking havoc down the left side. She was a constant threat with the ball at her feet. She is incredibly fast, can skin a defender and is great at cutting inside to create a threat in the box.
Rachel Kelly, Marin Academy, Senior, Keeper
Kelly, who is a standout water polo player, filled the need for a keeper for this Wildcat team and played one of her best games on Saturday. She made several great saves, stopping a penalty early on, making a great leg save early in the second half that kept the team in the match and showed great poise and leadership.
Becca Sherry, Marin Academy, Senior, Striker
Sherry was the emotional heartbeat. The Princeton commit made her presence felt up top, and playing in the target striker role, had her back to goal and had to take on two defenders constantly. She showed great work ethic and great ability with the ball at her feet.
Priscilla Ward Priscilla Ward F CA , Chico, Senior, Forward
Ward was a constant threat all day long, showing incredible technical skill with the ball at her feet, regularly taking on two or three defenders, often times beating those defenders and creating danger. She scored her 61st goal of the season and showed that she is one of the top players in Northern California.
Mylee Yuill Mylee Yuill F CA , Chico, Sophomore, Central Midfielder
Yuill never stops working. She put in a full shift on Saturday, defending with everything she had, pushing forward to create danger and doing the dirty work to help the team win. Several times she would cross the entire field to help extinguish a Marin Academy attack.