Benefield: Cardinal Newman girls soccer squad playing with confidence

The Cardinal Newman Cardinals know nothing about the Piedmont Highlanders, their opponent Wednesday in a North Coast Section Division 4 semifinal girls soccer game, and that’s just fine by coach John Gilson.

“Sometimes when you don’t know anything about them, you play your game even more,” he said.

That may prove troublesome for the No. 4-seeded Piedmont Highlanders, because the ?top-seed Cardinals’ game is plenty strong. They are 13-4-1 overall and went 8-3-1 to finish second in a tough North Bay League-Oak Division.

Still, knowing a team’s tendencies or style of play can be helpful. So Gilson went looking. He didn’t find much. No film, no common opponents, no secret intel.

We do know this: The Highlanders are seeded No. 4. We know they are 13-5-1 overall but tallied a record of 3-4-1 in the West Alameda County-Foothill League. We know that they have a trio of goal scorers in Ashley Nelson and Fiona Hunter - two juniors who have netted 10 goals a piece - and junior Ceci Brien, who leads the team with 17 goals.

But all that may not matter in the face of what the Cardinals bring to the field.

That’s how Gilson sees it.

“Trying to make adjustments to another team isn’t really what you want to do,” he said. “You impart your game on them and force them to adjust to you.”

And the Cardinals, with a number of dynamic players, make that tough.

“We are a good enough team that I believe all 11 players on the field can play. It’s not like you are strong up the spine or in spots,” he said. “I think we are good enough that we can play through everybody and then let your dynamic players come into the fold that way.”

Dynamic players? Cardinal Newman has them.

Senior Keely Roy leads the team in goals with 14 and is second in the assist tally with eight. Ella Wright, another senior, has scored six goals on the season and leads the team with 11 assists.

That duo has presented a two-pronged threat that has given opponents problems all season long, Gilson said.

“They are two very unique, strong players,” he said. “A lot of teams don’t have players that can deal with both of them.”

And even if Piedmont is familiar with Roy, that may not matter. She’s listed as a forward, but Gilson said he’s used her in at least six different spots this season, depending on the Cardinals’ needs.

That plays like an ace for Gilson and it makes the Cardinals a difficult lineup to prepare for.

“I think that is the key,” he said. “I don’t know if you can come out to a game and find Keely in the same part of the field every game.

“Her versatility allows her to do that,” he said.

“Her pace, her work rate - she is a tireless worker,” he said. “If she does her thing and plays well, I have a hard time believing we’ll lose.”

And if defenders lavish too much attention on Roy, here comes Wright, a lightning-quick weapon who is also listed as a forward.

“Ella is fast,” Gilson said.

Opponents try to account for that by sagging a defense to take away an open-field sprint that Wright will win every time.

“They don’t want Ella to get in behind them,” he said.

It’s a one-two punch that has proven lethal for the Cardinals.

Gilson said the team is playing the right kind of soccer at the right time in the season. The Cardinals have started three freshmen and three sophomores at various points in the season, and their style, which builds the attack from the feet of defenders, was causing minor breakdowns early on. Gilson feels like those issues have largely been resolved - either by maturity or through a growing understanding of the system.

“We have given up several goals playing the ball out of the back,” he said.

Done correctly? “You can really wear teams down,” Gilson said.

Done incorrectly? You are pulling the ball out of your own net.

“There is a price to pay if you make a mistake,” he said. “But I think we have grown as the season has gone on.”

With junior goalkeeper Paige Foster, a three-year varsity starter, in goal, the Cardinals’ defense is allowing just 0.8 goals per game and has recorded seven shutouts.

If the Cardinals are looking for any other edge going into Wednesday’s game, it’s this: They are healthy.

This is a program that has been beset by injuries in recent years. Not this year. Sure, they have had the usual knocks and dings, but nothing like in years past, Gilson said.

“Right now, we are as healthy as we have been all year,” he said. “Knock on wood.”

Last year, as the No. 4 seed, Cardinal Newman fell to eventual winner Branson in the NCS semifinals. But the Cardinals then went on an extraordinary run to become the NorCal Division 3 champion

That’s a tough act to follow, but Gilson sounds excited.

“We like our chances,” he said. “We like where we are right now.”

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.