Prep soccer: Maria Carrillo girls end Windsor’s streak

Maria Carrillo girls soccer head coach Michael Cox beamed down at his team with pride as they sat giddily talking among themselves about what had just transpired on a cold Tuesday night at Windsor High School.

The Pumas had done what no other team has been able to do the last two seasons — beat the Jaguars. And while Windsor’s postgame meeting following their 1-0 home loss to the Pumas was quiet and somber, Maria Carrillo could hardly contain its excitement.

“You guys could light up a city right now,” Cox said when he finally brought his team to attention.

Behind an early goal, stellar defense and an unforgettable performance from sophomore goalkeeper Brynn Korpela, Maria Carrillo (7-4-5, 4-2-1 North Bay League Oak division) ended Windsor’s unbeaten streak that dated back to last year.

Cassady Carpenter had the only score of the night in the third minute, which set the stage for a huge game for Korpela, who finished the night with 16 saves to shut out Windsor (9-1-2, 6-1) for the first time in its last 17 games.

“To have a sophomore in Brynn in the box, I mean she played like a senior,” Cox said. “She played like someone who should be going to Santa Clara.”

Even Windsor head coach Ralph Montes had to tip his cap to her performance.

“Brynn Korpela did amazing,” he said. “MVP of the game.”

It’s undoubtedly Maria Carrillo’s biggest win of the season, and as an added bonus, it exorcised some demons that have lurked over the last year. In the league opener a month ago, Windsor got a last-second goal for University of Washington commit Jadyn Holdenried to escape Maria Carrillo with a 3-2 win. Going even further back, when they met for the final time last year, Windsor rallied from a 1-0 hole to send the Pumas home losers.

Both of those results were on the Pumas’ minds entering Tuesday’s league contest, the last time this year they’ll face the Jaguars.

“We really wanted to remember the feeling of what it felt like to lose to them,” said Eilidh Takekawa. “We did not want to feel like that ever again.”

Takekawa was assigned the difficult task of defending Holdenried, the county’s leading scorer. While Holdenried- like the rest of the Jaguars — had some decent looks, none connected.

The difference in the game was Carpenter’s goal not five minutes into the game. Carrillo came out the aggressor and it paid off when UC Davis commit Maddie Gmitter found Carpenter with a left-to-right cross that she hammered home.

Then the tough part came for the Pumas. With 77-plus minutes left to go, they had to hold on against a team that averages more than four goals a game. At times, it looked dicey. After the Pumas’ initial burst out of the gates, they fell back on the defensive and Windsor looked to push.

The Jaguars had ample opportunities at scoring — nine, according to Montes — but time after time, Korpela came out the victor when she was challenged. Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, she had six saves, including a pair in one-on-one situations against Holdenried and Elsa Nolan, Windsor’s two best offensive threats.

Windsor had more chances in the second half, including a free kick in the box, but again and again Korpela and the Maria Carrillo defense stood firm.

“We came out flat in the first 15 minutes, Carrillo came out more excited, they scored at their opportunity,” Montes said. “Then after that, we created a ton of opportunities but no execution.”

The Pumas screamed and celebrated with a team bear hug when the final whistle sounded.

“We knew coming in against Ralph (Montes), he was going to bring it and he always does,” Cox said. “He coaches an exceptional team, but I think we were up to the challenge today. We fought for it.”

For Windsor, the loss stings but, Montes felt it was better to take their first loss now than down the road in the playoffs.

“I told the girls, ‘They’re not better than us,”’ he said. “We beat ourselves tonight. They just hung on to the moment that they created — nice goal — but they only took three more shots after that. Only took four shots all game, but they hung on.”

He added: “I’m happy for Maria Carrillo. They played well, they deserved to win the way they held on. We’re gonna just learn from this moment and use it to fuel us going forward.”