Los Gatos’ physical and uptempo style stymied St. Francis in a penalty shootout win Friday over the CCS defending champions, with St. Francis playing Los Gatos’ game throughout the match.
“Gotta give a lot of credit to Los Gatos, they were relentless, physical, athletic, and I don’t think we played our best game,” St. Francis coach Carlos Barboza said. “They made us not play our best game. There was no rhythm, there were a lot of nerves.”
Los Gatos upped the game’s tempo with its speed and athleticism while also breaking the flow up with physicality and tactical fouls whenever St. Francis threatened or looked to play key passes toward goal, forcing St. Francis into suboptimal decisions in key moments. The stakes and intensity led to several yellow cards for both teams and chippyness as the game went on.
Both teams had several good chances to score during regular time. Los Gatos had a point-blank chance with 25 minutes left in the first half, going through on goal and forcing a good save from sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Malloy from just a few yards away. St. Francis got its first shot on target with 19 minutes left in the first half, a soft long shot from midfielder Sophie McCarthy. The Lancers’ best chance of the first half came when midfielder Penelope Correa went through on goal on the left side of the box and hit a hard shot straight that forced a save from goalkeeper Cora Bryant. St. Francis had another great chance in the second half when Grier Gowdy was through on goal and had her shot blocked by Bryant.
“I think both teams had a couple of moments,” Barboza said. “It seemed nervy the entire game, so I don’t think either team was clinical, given a 0-0 game all the way through.”
After no one scored in extra time, it went to a penalty shootout where Los Gatos won 4-3. Los Gatos went second and made all four of its penalties, with Bryant saving a shot from midfielder Julia Malcolm on St. Francis’ third attempt. A miss from defender Kendall Koury on St. Francis’ fifth penalty sealed the game for Los Gatos.
“To their credit, their goalkeeper made a save, and so it happens,” Barboza said. “That’s the way PK’s go.”
St. Francis (19-1-1) played Los Gatos (18-1-3) in its second game of the season and won 3-1, with the Wildcats getting revenge this time around. The Lancers have had a charmed season until this point, undefeated and winning its fifth West Catholic Athletic League title on its way to the No. 1 seed in the CCS Division I playoffs. St. Francis beat St. Ignatius 6-0 in the CCS Division I semifinals and Carlmont 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Los Gatos has also had a successful season, winning the SCVAL De Anza Division and breezing through the CCS Division I playoffs, beating Leland 8-1 in the quarterfinals and Archbishop Mitty 4-0 in the semifinals.
Both teams will now prepare for the NorCal regional playoffs.
