High school girls soccer: Maria Carrillo bests undefeated Montgomery 4-1

The Maria Carrillo girls soccer team scored three goals in the second half of Thursday’s Breast Cancer Awareness Game, lifting them over the previously undefeated Montgomery Vikings 4-1 in Santa Rosa.

“This was so much fun,” Maria Carrillo head coach Debra LaPrath said. “This is such a great night with the boosters and everyone here supporting breast cancer awareness.”

In the second round of what is always a powerhouse matchup, the Pumas sought to even the tally as the host Vikings won the first matchup 1-0 on Sept. 15.

“That first game was fun, but this one was better,” LaPrath said.

Only 10 minutes into the match, it was senior forward Maddy Gonzalez who got Maria Carrillo on the board first, using her footwork to get through multiple defenders and creating a one-on-one opportunity with Vikings freshman keeper Izzie Christmann.

Gonzalez finished the shot, sinking it in the bottom left corner to put the Pumas up 1-0.

Christmann - who finished with 12 saves - knew the importance of a strong defensive game against Maria Carrillo, she said, but also knew not to overthink it.

“I was treating it like any other game,” Christmann said, “and then we came out here to play.”

And only 10 minutes later, it was Montgomery’s turn to even the score in front of the pink-clad home crowd.

Senior forward Gabby Rodriguez found a bobbled cross from senior forward Taylor Ziemer in front of the Pumas’ net and sent it banging into the top left corner.

“At that point, we came back and were getting after it,” Christmann said. “We just kept pushing.”

The Pumas found their coordination at halftime, senior forward Brooke Dunbar said, after “struggling to mesh in the first half.”

“Deb (LaPrath) asked us if we wanted to win,” she said, “and when we said yes, she told us to play like it.”

Both teams started the second half with a kick, battling for possession until Dunbar maneuvered into the left side of the penalty box and sent a cross that found the head of senior midfielder Bria Varnbuhler.

Less than two minutes later, senior center back Alison King took control of a ball that bounced around in front of the net and tapped it into the goal.

“When your center back scores,” Dunbar said, “it feels absolutely amazing.”

As the game reached stoppage time, it was Dunbar who again maneuvered her way into the box and drew the foul just inside the line of the penalty box.

Senior midfielder Sidney Rickert finished the shot, sealing Maria Carrillo’s 4-1 win.

“This feels amazing,” Dunbar said of the win. “My senior year, and the last time playing on this field for Breast Cancer Awareness night - this feels awesome.”

Dropping their first match of the season, the Vikings fell to 13-1 overall and 7-1 in the North Bay League, while the Pumas improved to 11-2 overall and 8-1 in conference play.

“We’re not going to let this game affect us,” Christmann said. “We need to learn from this and move on.”