Boys soccer: Archie Williams asserts control in second half

Sometimes all soccer players need to see is the ball hitting the back of the net.

After Sacred Heart Prep had controlled much of the first 30 minutes of the game, the Archie Williams boys soccer team found the equalizer courtesy of Jordan Oliver Roa. The host Peregrine Falcons took off from there, controlling the second half and getting goals from Sean Chamberlin and Jackson Richardson to pull away for a 3-1 victory in the NorCal Division III quarterfinals.

“We just believed in each other the whole time,” Richardson said. “There’s a trust within the team and we knew once we got that goal that we could play our game and win.”

The result lifts the top-seeded Peregrine Falcons (14-4-5) into the second NorCal semifinal in program history. Archie Williams faces No. 5 Tam (13-6-5) in the semifinal. The game is set to kick off at 3 p.m. at Archie Williams, as opposed to Red Hill Field.

No. 8 Sacred Heart Prep (16-3-5) took advantage of a defensive miscue by Archie Williams to take a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. The Gators had a good look at a second goal in the 21st minute but goalie Jack Kasin came up with the first of two big saves on the day.

The game flipped in the 32rd minute after Willy Finley was fouled near midfield resulting in a free kick for Archie Williams. Hayden Bremer launched the ball into the 6-yard box where a scrum of players were gathered at the far post. The ball fell kindly for Oliver Roa who blasted it into the net from point-blank range to tie the game.

“I love ugly goals because they’re hustle goals, momentum goals, right?” Archie Williams coach Rene Ayala said. “Usually when you get a goal like that, it allows you to build that momentum. You can build off of that energy so I thought that was exactly what we needed – an ugly scrum goal to get us back in the game — and that gave us confidence. It allowed us to breathe a little bit and instead of playing so frantic, we were able to calm down a little.”

The Peregrine Falcons quickly took control of the game in the second half. Chamberlain blasted a shot over the bar in the 42nd minute then Finley was taken down right on the edge of the 18-yard box in the 51st minute. Jake Morrison and Richardson ran a similar free-kick routine to the section-title-winning goal against Granada on Friday night, but Richardson’s shot was saved by the keeper.

Archie Williams scored the go-ahead goal following a corner by Morrison and a header by Chamberlin in the 57th minute.

“The corner before, (Sacred Heart defender Gionny Alfredo Cortez) was guarding me very well,” Chamberlin said. “I called Willy to screen me and as soon as he screened me, I got open space and I jumped and powered it right at the goalie and it went in.”

Chamberlin, who had scored in all six of the Peregrine Falcons’ postseason games this season prior to Tuesday, extended his streak to seven.

“We found out this week that he earned [MCAL] player of the year honors,” Ayala said. “The guy has just proven it night in and night out that he deserves that recognition. The guy is a tank and does not stop working. Physically, he’s so gifted – that height, that strength and power — but also the poise to be at the right place at the right time and just finish. The killer instinct is just uncanny.”

Richardson has shown that same killer instinct in the postseason, netting the winning goals in both the NCS semifinals and final. Archie Williams had created a couple of chances to get the third goal and kill the game late. Richardson put the result beyond reach, smashing a shot off the post to make it 3-1 deep into second-half stoppage time.

“I saw the defender miss the ball and I saw I had a lot of space,” Richardson said. “I probably should have taken a touch but I just wanted to put the game away and hit it as hard as I could.”

Archie Williams needed a big save from Kasin, who dove up and to his left to push a shot wide for a corner in the 65th minute to maintain a 2-1 edge.

“Honestly I thought it was a cross not a shot so I just wanted to try to get a piece of it to try to get it out of my box,” Kasin said. “I just dove for it and got a piece of it to make it a corner.”

Ayala also had high praise from recent JV call-up Liam McLean, who came in off the bench and played about 60 minutes at left center back.

“For a kid to come in, in a regional game for the Northern California title, just to step up and play so calm and so poised like he belonged out there I thought was great for him and his future,” Ayala said. “That gives us another option back there on the back line. He put himself on the map tonight. He has a bright future and this is going to be the take-off spot for him.”

Around the county

• West Freau scored a golden goal in the 96th minute to lift Tam to a 1-0 road victory in the D-III playoffs against Liberty Ranch of Galt (22-5-2) on Tuesday. The result sets the Red-tailed Hawks (13-6-5) up for a NorCal semifinal against Archie Williams at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The teams have played twice this season, battling to a 1-1 draw in the MCAL season finale before Archie Williams defeated Tam 2-0 in the MCAL semifinals.
• No. 7 Terra Linda (10-9-1) bowed out in the NorCal D-III quarterfinals on Tuesday, falling 1-0 on a second-half goal by No. 2 Hillsdale (20-1-2).
• Kacy Walker scored a golden goal from outside the 18-yard box, lifting the Marin Academy girls (21-3-1) to a 2-1 win in the D-II playoffs against No. 3 Leland (11-4-6) on Tuesday. MA held a 1-0 lead early in the second half on a goal by Sadie Goodenough. The No. 6 Wildcats return home to host No. 7 St. Ignatius (11-7-5) in a semifinal on Thursday.
• No. 7 San Rafael (15-10-0) saw its season come to an end following a 4-1 loss in the D-IV playoffs against No. 2 Soquel (15-4-3) on Tuesday. Rachel Iredale scored for the Bulldogs, assisted by Darby Fones.