Do you ever witness games of a sport where your knowledge is passable by not great, yet once you become immersed in watching the team, you can’t help but celebrate their success.
By my own admission, I do not have the in-depth knowledge of soccer like I do football or a few other sports. However, I had two rules as a sports reporter: a) Regardless of sport, every sport from football to golf would have coverage space in my sports section and b) When it came to celebrating success, I was an equal opportunity celebrator, even if I was not fond of the sport. Putting your ego aside in place of celebrating success is a good quality that takes you a long way.
By my own admission Part II, I’m not a soccer fan but in 2009, I was “all in” when it came to celebrating the victories of Calistoga High boys and girls soccer. The two sides had two distinctly different narratives:
Calistoga boys
The Wildcats reached the CIF North Coast Section Div. III championship game only to lose 2-1 in double-overtime to the Branson (Ross) Bulls.
To appreciate the team’s success, you have to understand the journey. The term “team of destiny” sounds trite but this team had that look throughout the postseason.
Playoff appearances were nothing new to the Wildcats in boys soccer. They have been there every year since 2002 — and under three different coaches (Jack McMahon, Arturo Mendoza and Carlos Garcia) — but never got past Round Two.
Calistoga had many postseason disappointments when it had the look of a team that would go a long way.
The double-overtime loss at home to Mendocino in 2003. The 2-0 loss at home to Justin-Siena in 2004. The 3-2 home loss to Head Royce in 2005. The 2-1 overtime loss at St. Helena in 2007. The 7-6 penalty kick loss at home to Branson in 2008.
Those teams featured stars that were goal-scoring machines like Juan Ramos, Beto Mendoza and Edwin Meza.
I talked to Garcia before the 2009 season, and he was coming off a year in which he would lose 12 seniors — many that played vital roles, including Meza.
“This year, I know I have to work hard with the guys,” Garcia said when I interviewed him for the preseason preview story. “It’s not going to be an easy year, but we’re going to do our best. You know me. I’m working hard to get the kids prepared.”
In past seasons, the Wildcats had so many blowout wins that they were not prepared for the postseason. While Calistoga had its share of decisive wins in 2009, it also had a few bumpy roads, such as a 4-0 loss to Anderson Valley and a 4-3 defeat to Roseland Prep. In fact, the Wildcats struggled in a 4-3 win over lowly Tomales.
Honestly, if you told me that the Wildcats would reach the section title game before the season began, I would have asked if you were heavily medicated.
They got to the playoffs and earned the No. 4 seed. They edged Bentley 2-1 in a game that probably should have been 5-1, since Calistoga dominated the possession time and had several shots on goal not convert.
Calistoga blanked No. 13 Fort Bragg 3-0 at home one round later and knocked off top-seeded and three-time reigning champion Marin Academy 3-1. Though Calistoga was seeded lower, it got to host the game based on Marin Academy not having lights at its facility. That scenario turned into a big equalizer, since Marin Academy’s facility is on FieldTurf while Calistoga plays on natural grass.
When I look back at the 2009 Wildcats, I see a team that maybe lacked the star power of previous teams, but was a more well-oiled machine — and Garcia deserves ample credit.
Throughout the season, the Wildcats were led by Michel Arroyo, Mario Sanchez, Cristian Escobedo, Jose Molina and Andres Hernandez. Arroyo later went on to play soccer for Sonoma State University.
Calistoga girls
Calistoga entered its 10th season of fielding girls soccer in 2009. The first decade of existence, however, brought minimal success to celebrate. Unlike their male counterparts, Calistoga girls soccer only had two seasons of postseason contention but followed up the next season by taking a step backward.
In 2003, the Wildcats were 8-8-2 but went 6-9-2 the following season. In 2005, Calistoga went 8-6-2 only to go 7-10 the next season. In 2008, Stephanie Dietz stepped in to become the Wildcats head coach after going 2-10-1 the previous season. Dietz’s debut saw mostly bumpy roads with a couple baby steps in going 4-10.
The 2009 campaign was at times choppy but by season’s end, the Wildcats made a strong push to reach the postseason for the first time in school history.
The pinnacle of Calistoga’s season was its 3-2 win over Rincon Valley Christian (Santa Rosa). The Wildcats could not have scripted their first postseason appearance in school history any better if they tried.
Not only did Calistoga get a win in its first postseason stint, but the victory came against an RVC program that had given the Wildcats nothing but headaches in previous years.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead at halftime as Krysta Carrillo scored a pair of first-half goals. Carrillo then provided an assist on the Wildcats’ third goal, which Leticia Avina scored.
That goal proved vital as the Eagles came back aggressively by scoring two goals with just minutes remaining in the contest, but Calistoga held off the charge. The backline defense of Maria Escobedo and goalkeeper Megan Hunt along with the midfield play of Jenna Reynolds, Wendy Garcia and Lupita Mendoza sealed the win.
Though the season ended three days later with an 8-0 loss to eventual champion Sonoma Academy, 2009 was a season of triumph for Calistoga. Dietz knew her team would eventually succeed, but it was hard to say how soon.
If I were to point to a pivotal time, it would be a 3-2 loss to Roseland Prep (Santa Rosa), which also reached the postseason. The next game was a 5-0 loss to Sonoma Academy to drop to 3-4-1. From there, the Wildcats would go 5-2-1.
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