SACRAMENTO — Saturday’s CIF CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V girls soccer championship game seemed like the polar opposite than what the Hilmar High program experienced on the same field at Cosumnes River College a year ago.
Instead of lifting a blue banner in the pouring rain like they did in 2024, the reigning champion Yellowjackets, the top seed in this year’s playoff, walked off the sunshine filled field this past weekend in tears following a 1-0 loss to No. 3 Liberty Ranch.
The sting of defeat felt especially worse for the girls in green, as they possessed the ball for a majority of the match and had seven shots on goal compared to one by Liberty Ranch.
But one was all the team from Galt needed. It came in the 27th minute, when the ball was centered and pinballed in front of the goal box. Hilmar goalkeeper Kayden Elston then left her post to try to grab it, but it was quickly tapped in by Serena Tarifa.
“There was a little miscommunication there, and sometimes that’s all a team needs,” said Hilmar head coach Guy Bettencourt. “We’re both so close, that’s why we’re both the finalists. It was gonna come down to the team that made the least amount of mistakes.”
The Hawks certainly had flaws exploited, with the Lady ‘Jackets consistently centering the ball over the course of the game which contributed to their 12 total shot attempts. While Hilmar couldn’t execute in some instances, other threats were extinguished by Liberty Ranch goalkeeper Zia Ruppert.
One of Ruppert’s many saves came with eight minutes to play in the first half, when she jumped to grab the ball just as Hilmar junior Alyssa Colston began to attempt a header. Colston made contact with ball, then with one of Ruppert’s enclosed hands and remained on the turf for a short amount of time before exiting the game for a brief moment. A penalty was not called because of the goalkeeper’s contact with the ball and her right to make an attempt at a catch.
Fellow junior Brisa Gonzales had the two best shots of the afternoon for the Yellowjackets. In first half stoppage time, she delivered a roaring kick from 20 yards out, but it was a tad bit high and glanced off the crossbar before bouncing off the football’s field goal post directly behind the net. In the 53rd minute, she dribbled past defenders before finding an open lane from the left hash marks, where she delivered a curving ball that flew past Kennie Thomas (who came off the bench to goalkeep in the second half), but bounced off the right post.
“We created the chances, but that’s why you play the game,” Bettencourt said. “The ball just would not go in.”
Hilmar pressured heavily late in the second half, but saw momentum evaporate as Gonzales rolled her ankle on the ball with 17 minutes to play and had to be helped off the field after a nearly four-minute delay in action. Despite being visibly bothered by the injury, Gonzales still managed to reenter the game seven minutes later, though her team never truly threatened in the waning seconds.
“She rolled her ankle and I wasn't gonna put her unless she wanted to, and she wanted to go. That's a sign of a warrior. She didn't want to let our team down,” Bettencourt said, fighting back tears. “That’s all you can ask for.”
The Yellowjackets finished their season with a 16-6-4 overall record, and will say goodbye to five seniors, including Elston and starting defenders Teygan Horstmeier, Finley Rosa and Lilly Brewer.
“I just feel bad for these seniors. They’re so used to winning, so this is not normal for them,” Bettencourt said, making reference to last year’s run to the NorCal Regional final. “These seniors are so close, that’s why you see these emotions.”
But with heartbreak comes added motivation for a team who will return more than half their roster, including Gonzales, Colston and top scorer Raylynn Mendoza, a sophomore who racked up 28 goals.
“A lot of those players were here on the other side with the thrill of victory,” Bettencourt said of last year’s dream playoff run. “They’ll come back hungrier because they know what this feels like now.”
