Following a 3-3 tie after a nail-biting 120 minutes, Delta women’s soccer had its 2021 season come to an end after falling 5-4 to Fresno City College in a penalty shootout, in what is perhaps one of the season’s biggest upsets.
In what was a repeat face-off of the two teams from Sept. 1 where Delta defeated Fresno 2-1 at the beginning of the season, the Mustangs (20-0-2) sought to knock off the Rams (15-2-6) once again to advance to the NorCal finals.
The competitive level during playoffs, however, is completely different to that of a non-conference bout to start off the season as both teams gave it their all to continue advancing in hopes of reaching the CCCAA State Championship.
“The game was really open and physical, both teams fought really hard,” said Delta head coach Adrienne Sorenson.
With a persistent Fresno City pressuring Delta’s back line, the Mustangs found it very difficult to move the ball forward while keeping it on the grass and on many occasions was forced to play long and try to win 50-50 aerial battles near midfield.
The two teams had five shots each during the first half, with few scoring chances from both sides.
The Mustangs were able to open the score in the 26th minute after forward Kaley Miller netted the ball after it slipped out of the grasp of Rams goalkeeper Cailyn Bawdon following a cross from left field.
It was in the second half that the matchup rattled everyone’s emotions on the field, on the bench and in the crowd with an onslaught of goals during the game’s most crucial moments.
Forward Alexis Brewah extended Delta’s lead to 2-0 in the 50th minute after receiving a long midfield pass from forward Sabrina Cabrera.
After doubling the lead, it seemed like Delta was on its way to adding another win to its undefeated record. However, things were about to make a turn for the worse for the Big 8 Conference champions.
Delta was met with a resilient Fresno City that was not phased by trailing 2-0 in an away game to the No. 1 seed in Northern California and the only undefeated team in the state which has not lost a home game since 2017.
The Rams rallied a massive comeback with forward Jazmin Mora shortening the lead 2-1 in the 56th minute and midfielder Hannah Martin netting the equalizer six minutes later.
“Fresno City just never gave up. They gave us a tough battle and you just got to tip your hats off to them,” said Brewah, who recognized the resiliency of her opponents.
During this point of the game, Delta had a hard time defending Fresno City’s attacks, especially on free kicks and corners.
“The game was very open, it was the set piece mistakes that hurt us,” said Sorenson.
The last five minutes of the second half was not fit for the faint at heart as Fresno City took the lead 3-2 after midfielder Serina Oceguera scored in the 87th minute.
When it looked like Fresno was going to get the win in 90 minutes, Brewah sped past the Rams’ back line to win a ball in the box and score the equalizer for Delta in injury time to force the game to continue an extra 30 minutes.
Even with the mistakes on the back line, Sorenson was glad to see how her team was able to show mental toughness and fight to the last minute.
“I’m proud of the team for equalizing late when we were down a goal. That’s something I haven’t had happen in a while,” said Sorenson.
Ultimately disappointment and sadness appeared on the faces of Delta’s players after midfielder Jasmin Mejia missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.
Despite the elimination, Sorenson is proud of what her team has accomplished during the season and said that her players should keep their heads high after ending the season on a penalty shootout in an intensely contested playoff game.
“Penalties are tough. Honestly there’s nothing to hang our heads about. I’m just so proud of the team for what they’ve accomplished,” said Sorenson.