HILLSBORO – For 76 minutes Saturday night, third-seeded Central Catholic appeared ready to be added to the long list of teams that fell victim to juggernaut Jesuit in the state finals.
Somehow, though, the Rams got off the deck to produce the equalizer, then got the go-ahead goal with 1:24 left in the second overtime session, to stun the two-time reigning champion Crusaders 2-1 in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A final at Hillsboro Stadium.
It is the first state championship for Central Catholic (17-1-1), and going through top-seeded Jesuit (16-1-1) – which was ranked No. 2 in the nation by United Soccer Coaches, outscoring foes 81-3 and riding a 52-match unbeaten streak – made it extra special.
“It means a lot. We were ready to play them all year,” senior defender Annie Charbonneau said of the Crusaders, who have 17 state championships. “As much as it would've been nice to play a not-as-good team, we wouldn't have wanted to play any other team.”
Both Central Catholic goals came from freshman Joan VanSandt, who increased her season total to 21, including six in the playoffs.
In the 77th minute, VanSandt scored off a corner kick by sophomore Claire Sdrulla. In the second overtime, she rebounded a shot by senior Elizabeth Briscoe, who had redirected a corner kick by Sdrulla.
“I wasn't surprised. She's been doing stuff like that all year,” Charbonneau said of VanSandt. “She's made a huge difference on our team.”
Rams coach Lucas dePinna subbed VanSandt back into the game for the last corner kick.
“She's been our goal-scorer, for sure, and she had to be in there for those corners,” dePinna said. “She's dangerous in the air. She's got (21 goals) now, and a lot of them have been on corners.”
Charbonneau said that before the second goal, she was mentally preparing for a penalty-kick shootout.
“But I think we all kind of had a feeling deep down,” Charbonneau said. “Even our keeper – (senior) Marlowe (Rowland) – she was like, 'We're too good of a team to go to PKs, so let's finish it off in overtime.'”
VanSandt said the Rams didn't see themselves as underdogs.
“We knew were going to win,” VanSandt said. “We were just saying the whole time, 'We are going to win this.' One the bus ride here, 'We're going to win.' And that's what we came out here and did.”
The Rams outscored their four playoff opponents 14-1 after suffering their only loss of the season, 1-0 to Lincoln in the regular-season finale. DePinna credited his team's determination and the leadership of its captains, Charbonneau and Briscoe, who are committed to Wyoming and Western Washington, respectively.
“They knew the whole time that they'd do whatever it takes to win,” dePinna said. “You've got good leadership on that team, and two captains that weren't going to give up. A lot of girls stepped up big, and it was fun to watch.”
Believing that the pressure was on Jesuit, Central Catholic played loose and free throughout the game.
“We knew we had nothing to lose,” Charbonneau said. “So we came out like, 'We'll just give it our all.' They think they're going to beat us, and we wouldn't want to be in any other position. It was kind of a nice extra to have.”
Did the Rams – ranked sixth in the OSAAtoday 6A preseason coaches poll – believe they were overlooked this season?
“I think a little bit,” VanSandt said. “I think definitely our ranking at the beginning was a little bit controversial. But we showed them who was the No. 1 team in the state overall.”
Jesuit's goal came off a corner kick in the 17th minute. Junior Eva Stiles headed the ball off the far post, and sophomore Vianna Dunne was on the spot in front of the goal to deposit the rebound.
But the Crusaders, who owned a 13-6 edge in shots, were unable to get an insurance goal, and it proved to be their undoing. They fell to 17-3 in state championship games.
“The kids should be proud of themselves,” Jesuit coach Steve Fennah said. “They've scrapped, they've battled, but we've known since the beginning of the year that Central Catholic – and for that matter Lincoln and Grant – were all good teams.
“I think it's been one of the strongest, most competitive high school seasons that I can remember, and we just came up a little bit short. Give Central the credit. They got a couple of scramble goals from corners, and so it went.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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