DANVILLE – Archbishop Mitty defender Jasmyne Wheeler’s eyes never still when she receives the ball. Their gaze often darts from one spot to the next, always looking for an opening or scoring chance.
In the 21st minute of Archbishop Mitty’s CIF NorCal Division I girls soccer game at Monte Vista, a darting run from sophomore left winger Zuri Brandt caught Wheeler’s attention.
“Zuri made a really good run, and she was springing fast so she was in front of the defender,” Wheeler said. “So I played it in.”
That goal was the difference in Mitty’s 1-0 road victory and the end of Monte Vista’s Cinderella run.
Up next in the Monarchs’ quest to repeat as regional champs is a visit from No. 8 Bishop O’Dowd.
The school that Mitty coach JT Hanley once led took down top-seed Del Oro in penalty kicks. .
Early on, it seemed as if another team well-versed in upsetting traditional powerhouses would prevail in Mitty’s game.
Monte Vista was coming off a magical run for No. 10 seed in the North Coast Section’s toughest bracket to champions after a run of improbable victories.
Coming off a loss to rival St. Francis in the Central Coast Section Division I final, the San Jose school was seeded fifth and had to go on the road to play at the Danville public school.
Despite enjoying clear skies on Tuesday evening, Mitty spent the first 20 minutes of its game in the East Bay playing as if it was enveloped in a red fog.
Monte Vista dominated possession, outshot Mitty 5-1 and was the more aggressive team. Sophia Carbone and winger Ava Jack were standouts for the Mustangs, who took the Monarchs by surprise with their pace and physicality.
“What you saw in the first 10 or so minutes of the game, was us just kind of getting ourselves mentally back into thinking, ‘Hey, this is playoff soccer, and we’ve got to play at a high level,’” Hanley said.
Monte Vista’s confidence was sky high.
“I’ve never seen anything like this group,” MV coach Chris Lum said. “They’re just really, really special kids. While it’s sad to see the seniors go, the rest of them will be back next year and they’ll have an established identity.”
Hanley’s Monarchs took a while to adjust, but adjust they did.
“We just needed to work on getting on the ball, and once we started doing that and started to compose ourselves and keep the ball, we were able to outplay them,” Walsh said.
Once Mitty adapted, Monte Vista struggled to maintain possession, and the San Jose school began to control the game’s tempo.
Do-it-all midfielder Murphy Walsh was immovable in the middle, and defenders such as Chloe Miller and Ayla Briski stifled the Mustangs attack.
“We stopped trying to bypass our midfield when we were winning the ball, and began building out of our middle,” Hanley said. “Once our midfielders were starting to get touches … that settled us down and they were comfortable on the ball.”
Walsh almost made it 2-0 with a rocket toward the inside of the far left post in the second half, but goalkeeper Amanda Kayari made a breathtaking save that saw her body pose almost parallel to the ground while in midair.
“She’s been fantastic through the entire playoffs,” Lum said of Kayari. “Super-talented kid and she’s going to the University of Chicago. My son is a goalkeeper as well, and the advice that I give him is to do everything she does.”
The Mustangs (10-6-3) had a couple of chances in the box late, but neither gave them the equalizer they needed to keep their magical season alive.
Meanwhile, the Monarchs (18-2-3) advanced to the semifinals, which will be played in San Jose on Thursday.