November 21 marked the end of the season for women’s soccer. All hopes and expectations of Final Four status were put to rest in the second round of the Regional Championship playoffs when Yuba College lost to De Anza with the final score 0-3. The sour note that the season ended on, however, cannot overshadow the amazing record that the women had earned throughout the season. They finished #1 in the nation, with an overall record of 22-1 and only 6 goals allowed the whole season.
The crowd that came out to support Yuba during the game were lively. One group even brought out a couch and painted their faces in the team colors. The start of the game was exciting to say the least. The crowd was cheering on the team, and spirits were high as the kick-off commenced.
The wind was exceptional strong that day, coming from the south, which is equivalent to running uphill in soccer for the team trying to advance against it. Yuba, for the first half, was running with the wind and had two near-misses on goal.
De Anza played at full speed throughout the first half and although Yuba had the wind advantage, the ball handling was mostly done by De Anza. The first goal was scored by De Anza near the end of the first half. The general feeling about the field was tense considering that Yuba had not been on the losing side of a game at the beginning of the second half but once the whole season. And that was in the game versus Cerritos, one of the tops teams in the nation.
The second half began with De Anza kicking off and Yuba now against the stiff wind. By this time Yuba was frustrated and tired. The 49ers would carry the ball only for a few touches before it was wrestled away by De Anza. The second goal was headed in off a corner kick and the crowd who were once on their feet cheering were now nervous and quiet. The only noises to be heard were the opposing team cheering as they gained more and more momentum. As the game wore on, Yuba just could not regain control.
With 15 minutes left in the game, the third goal was scored for the opposing team. On the sidelines the Yuba bench watched their teammates on the field almost in disbelief of what they saw. Some were clinching their jackets up to their mouths. Some were shaking their heads and looking to their coach for guidance. The clock wore down, and it was becoming more and more apparent on the faces of the crowd and the team that this would be their final game of the year.
The whistle blew signaling the end of line for Yuba. Some members of the team tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears as they shook the other team’s hands. Coach Jason Spain, after the game, gave a final message to the team, saying that he was proud of them and that this was the first college team he has had that went undefeated during the season.
Spain said, “Only one team ends their season with a win.” Yuba top points earners are Kami Kapaku, with 25 goals and 15 assists; Chandlar Davis, with 17 goals and 7 assists; and Nikki Mares tied with Noelani Bio, both with 8 goals and 2 assists.
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