Girls soccer season ends at Central Catholic
May 15, 2009 | 499 views | 0 
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MODESTO — The Patterson High girls soccer team’s skill and resilience took them to unprecedented heights in 2009, winning 10 Western Athletic Conference games and then a spot in the postseason, both program firsts.
But at some point, the dream would have to end. And if it had to end, at least the Tigers went down with a fight against one of the most formidable opponents in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs.
Patterson (15-10-2) hung close with Central Catholic (18-5-2) for most of the match Thursday, May 14, but ultimately the Raiders were too much for the upstart Tigers. Central Catholic clinched a finals berth with a 3-0 victory.
Still, the loss hardly puts a chink in the Cinderella story that was Patterson’s season.
“We need to be proud of what we have accomplished,” Patterson coach Cade Tomasegovich said. “We knew that the odds were stacked against us.”
After an evenly played first half, things got away from the Tigers. Playing downwind for the second half, Central Catholic began to find its rhythm.
Sara Pimentel scored the first of three Raiders goals in a dizzying span of under 10 minutes. Pimentel won a battle with Patterson’s Valeria Ramirez, worked the ball up the pitch and, undeterred, fired a shot from about 20 yards out.
Patterson goalie Geraldi Saucedo made a one-handed effort to deflect Pimentel’s shot, but the ball glanced off of her glove and into the net.
Minutes later, Ana Hernandez took advantage of a wide-open opportunity, and from a difficult angle, blasted Central Catholic’s second goal of the game to the back of the net. A third score by Meredithann Franco gave Central Catholic a commanding lead.
“I think that we had a bit of a mental and physical breakdown in the second half,” Patterson’s Andrea Arellano said. “We gave a good team some opportunities and they took advantage.”
Patterson had open looks late in the second half but couldn’t capitalize.
Despite the loss, Tomasegovich said he can’t help but feel optimistic about the future of Patterson’s program. The Tigers lose only four seniors to graduation, bringing back much of the team’s core to do battle again next season.
“This team definitely realizes that we are going to be strong next year,” Tomasegovich said. “Hopefully, that’s part of the reason why the team isn’t taking this loss quite as hard.”
• Contact Marc Aceves at 892-6187 or marc@pattersonirrigator.com.
But at some point, the dream would have to end. And if it had to end, at least the Tigers went down with a fight against one of the most formidable opponents in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs.
Patterson (15-10-2) hung close with Central Catholic (18-5-2) for most of the match Thursday, May 14, but ultimately the Raiders were too much for the upstart Tigers. Central Catholic clinched a finals berth with a 3-0 victory.
Still, the loss hardly puts a chink in the Cinderella story that was Patterson’s season.
“We need to be proud of what we have accomplished,” Patterson coach Cade Tomasegovich said. “We knew that the odds were stacked against us.”
After an evenly played first half, things got away from the Tigers. Playing downwind for the second half, Central Catholic began to find its rhythm.
Sara Pimentel scored the first of three Raiders goals in a dizzying span of under 10 minutes. Pimentel won a battle with Patterson’s Valeria Ramirez, worked the ball up the pitch and, undeterred, fired a shot from about 20 yards out.
Patterson goalie Geraldi Saucedo made a one-handed effort to deflect Pimentel’s shot, but the ball glanced off of her glove and into the net.
Minutes later, Ana Hernandez took advantage of a wide-open opportunity, and from a difficult angle, blasted Central Catholic’s second goal of the game to the back of the net. A third score by Meredithann Franco gave Central Catholic a commanding lead.
“I think that we had a bit of a mental and physical breakdown in the second half,” Patterson’s Andrea Arellano said. “We gave a good team some opportunities and they took advantage.”
Patterson had open looks late in the second half but couldn’t capitalize.
Despite the loss, Tomasegovich said he can’t help but feel optimistic about the future of Patterson’s program. The Tigers lose only four seniors to graduation, bringing back much of the team’s core to do battle again next season.
“This team definitely realizes that we are going to be strong next year,” Tomasegovich said. “Hopefully, that’s part of the reason why the team isn’t taking this loss quite as hard.”
• Contact Marc Aceves at 892-6187 or marc@pattersonirrigator.com.
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