Girls’ Soccer Falls 2-0 to Credo in NCS Match

South Fork High’s girls’ soccer team wrapped up its season last Wednesday night in Miranda with a 2-0 loss to Rohnert Park public charter school Credo High in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 3 Girls’ Soccer Championship.

The Lady Cubs had to play with just ten players and had shuffled players around from their usual positions to shore up the defense. Senior Olivia Baffert played very well at sweeper, using her speed and strong leg to stave off Credo’s attack for the entire first half.

The Lady Cubs looked comfortable in their defensive alignment and Credo did not pose much of a threat in the opening period.

The match was scoreless at halftime. In an effort to generate more of an attack in the second half, Baffert moved into the midfield, and senior center defender Daphne Hobbs moved to sweeper at the back of the defense.

The stalemate continued for twenty minutes until a Credo attack led to a poorly cleared ball that landed at the feet of a Credo midfielder who chipped a high 30-yard shot over the head of sophomore South Fork keeper Paloma Avilez.

The Lady Cubs continued to press forward, with Baffert and junior striker Kylie Messenger attempting to penetrate Credo’s defense, but the Cubs were only able to get two shots off in the half.

Credo took advantage of South Fork’s short-handed squad, and were able to find the seams in the defense once more ten minutes before the game ended, sneaking a second goal past Avilez to seal the victory.

The entire South Fork defense played well, led by Hobbs and senior Estefania Bautista, whose experience and determination kept the Lady Cubs in the match for 90 minutes despite the numerical disadvantage. Freshmen Jaylenne Harris and Kaylee Pogue played some of their best minutes of the season repelling Credo’s well organized, possession-oriented attack. Junior midfielders Sophia Wallace-Boyd and Kaya Voelkers shored up the center of the field, disrupting Credo’s persistent, rhythmic pace time after time.

Credo went on to beat St. Bernard’s 5-2 in the semi-final round of the tournament on Saturday and will play St. Vincent High School next Saturday for the Championship.

It is uncertain whether the Lady Cubs will have the numbers to field a team next season. Of the 13 on this year’s roster, three will graduate in June, and several others are considering transferring to other schools. If the team returns ten players next season, they will all have considerable experience under their belts and be well prepared for another competitive season.