After 22 games unbeaten and edging out Archbishop Mitty for the WCAL title, the St. Francis boys soccer team suffered its first loss this year against the Monarchs in the CCS finals Saturday.
The third game of the season between the two league foes saw No. 3 seed Mitty (17-2-4) score from a corner kick in the second half after 62 minutes and another with 10 minutes left to stun the No. 1 seed Lancers (20-1-2).
“When they got that second goal with 10 to go, that was just crushing,” St. Francis head coach Rusty Millard said. You could kind of see it. You could feel it. You sensed it. It was Mitty’s night and not ours, and that’s OK.”
While the CCS final at Santa Clara University was the season’s biggest game, the loss doesn’t detract from what Millard called an amazing season as WCAL champions and Homestead Christmas Cup champions. St. Francis beat Lincoln in the CCS quarterfinals 2-0 and Burlingame 2-1 in the semis.
“To go back over the last four months and look back at that journey with these guys and knowing that 22 times, opponents threw their best opportunity to take us down, and we withstood that challenge and came out victorious; super proud of that,” Millard said.
Mitty came out in the opening 20 minutes with more energy and pressed St. Francis, with the Lancers staying organized defensively and making stops when needed to keep it 0-0 to close the first half. The team stayed patient and created dangerous moments once they connected multiple passes with each other.
“We probably felt pretty good about that,” Millard said of the half. “Knowing that they probably had outplayed us for a majority of that half.”
Both teams are now going to the Northern California state playoffs, with St. Francis the No. 5 seed and playing Berkeley at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Millard noted the condensed schedule of playing every two days will be tough but is hopeful the team will adapt to the new experience.
“There’s not a whole lot of time to spend and invest on it,” Millard said.
