The Hilmar High girls soccer team was tested last week, as the Yellowjackets played in the lone outbracket game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Tournament. They prevailed, and moved on to another challenge.

This time, it was just too tough to overcome.

The Yellowjackets suffered a 5-2 loss to West Campus on Tuesday afternoon in the first-round tournament game to end their season. Hilmar managed to get second-half goals from Ashley Rodrigues and Jamie Rocha, but the 3-0 halftime deficit was just too much.

“You talk about bad breaks,” Hilmar coach Louie Bettencourt said, “we had them all — just one after another.”

The Yellowjackets entered the postseason as the No. 3 seeds in the Trans-Valley League after going 3-2-3 — meaning they had to face Amador High in the only outbracket game for a spot in the tournament. Hilmar won 1-0.

Against West Campus in Sacramento, Bettencourt said his Yellowjackets faced a team with dribblers, who used the small soccer field to their advantage and scored in the first few minutes. From there, Hilmar had to play catch-up.

“We made some poor decisions,” Bettencourt added. “It was just unfortunate. They were a good team. We had our chances to make changes and to do some things.”

However, the Yellowjackets head into the offseason with a group that boasts one freshman, four sophomores and 12 juniors.

“I’ll have a strong group next season,” Bettencourt said.

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.