Islanders Girls Soccer Punch Ticket to CIF Div II Championship

On Wednesday, it was a simple matter of win and you’re in – into the CIF DII finals for the Islander girls soccer team as they faced off against the No. 6 Seed Broncos of Rancho Bernardo. 

Coming off an easy 4-0 win in their quarterfinal match vs. Mater Dei, the Islanders looked poised to take care of business in front of their home crowd. 

The Islanders fired off two shots on goal in the first six minutes, from Ava Worthy and Katelyn McGrath, establishing early that the Islanders could and would be able to generate goal opportunities. 

However, while the early shots were nice, they were the few of the first half for the Islanders, as outside of the early minutes, they struggled to find their offensive footing. 

While the Islanders’ attack tried to find its way, the same could not be said for the backline and midfield. As well as they have done all season, Worthy, Giana Quijano, and Lana Allari Smith were immovable objects as they stifled every attack or dangerous ball the Broncos had in the first half. In the first half alone, the Islanders had seven steals, most notably two from Emily Kuite and Samantha Christie, as the midfield duo did a fine job of disrupting the Broncos. 

The Islanders would have a few more shots at the end of the half, one from Zoe Searles and the other from Katelyn McGrath, but neither would find the back of the net, thus keeping us tied at 0-0 heading into the half.  

While the offense perhaps struggled in the first half, it was clear that adjustments had been made coming out of the half. In the 44th and 46th minutes, the Islanders made strong attacks that resulted in Riley McGrath and Xiomara McKenna shots.   

Over the next 15 minutes, Coronado’s offensive style of play would be much more aggressive. As a result, their attacks became far more dangerous as they earned numerous corner kicks and were able to work the ball into more dangerous positions. 

In the 68th minute, it looked as if the switch to a more aggressive style would pay off, like a shot by Christie would result in a hand giving the Islanders a PK with just 12 minutes to play. Zoe Searles lined up to take the PK, but the RB goalie made a diving save to keep things level at 0-0. 

A moment like that would perhaps take the wind out of their sails for most teams. But not for these lady Islanders. They just kept pushing. Just two minutes after the saved PK, Xiomara McKenna made a great read on an RB pass and stole the ball for the Islanders. She proceeded to play a great ball forward to Riley McGrath, who, along with her sister Katelyn McGrath, found themselves in a 2-1 break. 

Riley proceeded to send in a low running cross to Katelyn, and the junior hammered the ball past the goal into the bottom right of the net, giving Coronado the 1-0 lead with nine minutes to play. 

Over the final nine minutes, the Islanders as a whole played excellent team defense and received two big-time saves in the 73rd and 75th minutes from keeper Cadence Palmer to seal the 1-0 victory and punch their ticket to the CIF Division II Final. 

The Islanders will face off against Sage Creek High School this Friday, Feb. 25th, at 4:30 pm at Patrick Henry High School as they look to add an exclamation point to what has been a remarkable 2022 season.