After experiencing the thrill of victory on Thursday when they won 5-4 in penalty kicks over Reeley’s University Prep in the semifinal round of the Northern California Regional Division 5 girls soccer playoffs, the No. 1 Hilmar Yellowjackets experienced the agony of defeat as they were on the wrong end of a 5-4 penalty shootout against No. 6 Winters in Saturday’s championship match.

The ‘Jackets and Warriors played to a 1-1 draw after regulation and a 15-minute, sudden-death overtime period. It was the Winters goalkeeper Violet Tuel, who played the hero in the shootout, blocking a pair of attempts to keep the match knotted at 4-4 and force sudden-death penalty kicks. After kicking a go-ahead goal in the seventh round of kicks, she blocked Lilly Brewer’s game-winning attempt to clinch the title.

“Oh man, Violet, she was a difference maker, and that’s what happens on penalties. She made the saves that she had to,” said Hilmar head coach Guy Bettencourt.

Aside from her three saves in the penalty period, Tuel made seven saves in regulation and overtime.

After Winters struck first thanks to a 40-yard strike from Idaly Lopez on a free-kick attempt in the 40th minute, Tuel gave up her only regulation goal just two minutes later when Hilmar’s top scorer Brisa Gonzales (31 goals on the season) fired in a penalty kick. The penalty was called after a Warrior defender accidentally put a hand on the ball while inside the penalty box.

Meanwhile, Hilmar’s goalie, junior Kayden Elston, had two saves in regulation. One of those saves came in the 60th minute, ricocheting off Elston and directly into the possession of a Winters striker. The score remained knotted at one as Brewer stretched out to block the shot with her leg.

In penalty kicks, Hilmar’s Gonzales, Raylynn Mendoza, Finley Rosa and Sidney Logsdon each made their shots, while Brewer, Alyssa Colton and Kyla Barros were rejected by Tuel. As for the Warriors, joining Tuel as shot makers in the penalty rounds was Ava Muir Vickery, Alondra Molina, Varenna Terronez and Ruby Campos. Missing for Winters were Aylin Molina and Izabella Bermudez. Molina’s shot was saved by Elston while Bermudez’s miss sailed right. 

“I told her (Elston), ‘We need one save from you, and I think we got it,’ Bettencourt shared. “And she did. She had that one save. She did what we needed her to do to win, so I just feel bad for the girls. They have nothing to be ashamed of. When you go to penalties it’s like going to Reno. It’s just a crapshoot. We had our chances, and it could have gone either way. But we have to have one winner, and it wasn’t our turn today. They’re a great team and they did a great job, so congratulations to them.

“Our goal was to win the blue banner, and we ended up playing for the NorCal championship. That is awesome. I can't ask for more. They gave it all they have. This is the best soccer team Hilmar High School has ever had.”

Bettencourt also praised the large crowd that showed their support for the team that afternoon.

“I’ve never seen this in Hilmar. I am so proud of the way the community supported this team… It's something that's never happened in soccer. I'm so proud of the way the community and the school responded. It's unbelievable. It's too bad we didn't win, but I never expected this. I have never seen so many people out here.”

The usually calm and collected Gonzales admitted that the stakes of a NorCal final and the large crowds was a lot to take in.

“It was really, really exciting to be a part of a game like this,” she said. “There was a lot of pressure coming into this game, and I was really nervous, honestly. I didn't know what it was like to play in a game like this.”

After finishing the season with a 24-6-2 and the Trans-Valley League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division titles in their trophy cases, Gonzales is confident that the team will be back to contend next year.

“We’ll be back,” she proclaimed. And Bettencourt agreed.

“​​I have quite a few sophomores and juniors, so next year, if they all come out and they give 100%, the sky's the limit for this team. They should be better even than this year if they all come out,” he said.

Of his roster of 20 players, only Zoe Figueroa, Litssy Barragan, Violet Pinheiro, Kiara Garcia, Emily Peterson and Janet Gutierrez are set to graduate this summer.

“I don’t lose any starters,” Bettencourt continued. “They got a taste of what it’s like to win the blue banner and play in the NorCal. They’re hungry to finish the job off, so I think we can do it.”