Benefield: Montgomery girls soccer team gets best of Maria Carrillo this time

The Montgomery Vikings settled in after that first goal.

Funny thing was, that first goal was for Maria Carrillo.

In the first girls soccer match between these two perennial North Bay League powers, the visiting Pumas stunned their hosts five minutes into the contest, going up 1-0.

Junior forward Kitana Gonzalez, working with a ball sent by junior Meghan Chang, took two touches before sending Vikings goalkeeper Izzy Christmann diving to her right as the ball ripped past her.

But rather than giving the Pumas the edge, the goal seemed to rouse the Vikings, who bested their rivals 3-1.

“I think the girls were just a tad nervous and that got that out of their system,” said Vikings coach Pat McDonald.

The game marked another chapter in the rivalry between these two squads.

Maria Carrillo has won the last five North Coast Section titles, beating Montgomery in every single final in that span.

But the young Vikings made a strong statement Thursday night. They got goals from two sophomores and a freshman, and Gabby Albavera, the heart of the attack in the second half, is just a junior.

“It was a big win for us,” Albavera said.

In the first half, the hosts were getting multiple chances down the left flank from the work of freshman Victoria Prado, who repeatedly got herself space, but the Vikings seemed content to launch shots from outside the 18-yard box rather than try their hands at beating the Pumas’ veteran back line.

With five minutes to go in the half, one of those chances stuck.

Sophomore Cindy Arteaga took advantage of a charging Peyton Russotti in goal for the Pumas, knocking in an easy one after a multiplayer collision at the top of the box.

“I looked up and slotted it in with as much power as I had,” she said.

Momentum had officially shifted.

“Our first goal is what changed the whole game,” Albavera said. “It tied it up, but we were ready to win.”

In the second half, Albavera played like she wanted to win.

Picking up where Prado left off, the Vikings offense seemed to flow through Albavera in the final 40 minutes.

“I thought we played our butts off in the second half,” she said.

The Pumas’ central defender, Brianna Van Giesen, a stalwart throughout the first half, could not hold the attacking Vikings at bay.

The team that came into Thursday night’s contest averaging nearly six goals a game was coming at the Pumas’ defense from all angles. The crossbar saved the Pumas at least twice.

Freshman Micky Rosenbaum put the Vikings ahead five minutes into the second half and sophomore Katherine Monroy made it 3-1 with 22 left to play.

It was quickness of play and not getting to the up-for-grabs balls that made the difference, according to Maria Carrillo coach Debra LaPrath.

“We weren’t doing the basic things - we weren’t quick enough, not winning 50-50 balls,” she said.

The young Pumas were not used to the speed of play, she said.

“Props to Montgomery,” she said. “They moved the ball well today. A combination of that and long ball, but it was effective. They could play direct.”

LaPrath said youth might serve the Pumas after this defeat.

Exactly a year ago Thursday, Maria Carrillo lost to Montgomery - a loss that led to the Pumas sharing the NBL title for the first time in years. Her senior-heavy team took the loss hard, she said.

Not so much Thursday night. It’s the benefit of being young, of not having quite the same institutional memory as an upperclassman.

“This team is just going to get better each week,” she said. “It’s early. We’ll peak at the right time.”

But the Vikings, too, are young.

Which means this rivalry has some chapters left yet to play.