Sacred Heart Prep Girls Soccer Advances To Regional Championship Game

ATHERTON, CA — Sacred Heart Prep girls' varsity soccer squad is playing for the regional title Saturday in its third attempt at playoff glory.

To get there, the Gators first had to shut out the visiting Sonoma Valley Dragons in round 1 of the CIF NorCal Girls Soccer Championships, held Tuesday in Atherton.

Sonoma Valley struggled from the opening whistle as Sacred Heart kept the Dragons away from the goal, not allowing any up-close opportunities until Brianna Jrasek attempted a header late in the 40-minute first half.

Meanwhile, the Gators kept swinging the ball to the wing, then centering to the front of the goal with four of their goals hitting the net from the 10- to 15-yard range. Sacred Heart's Grace Rocha seized an opportunity as Sonoma's goalie blocked the first attempt shot but lost control of the ball as she fell to the ground, providing Rocha a tap-in shot and giving the Gators a 3-0 lead at the half.

Sonoma Valley put up a fight after the half but could not break away for any strong shots against the more experienced Atherton team, which fielded seven seniors to defeat the Dragon roster of three seniors and four freshman.

Sacred Heart pulled off a 7-0 win over North Monterey County to secure a playoff berth for the third time in three years, then shut out Sonoma Valley to advance to Thursday's semifinal match against Soquel High School.

With a 3-0 shutout Thursday over the Soquel Knights, the Gators will travel to meet Fresno Christian in the regional championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Fresno Christian sitting on 15 straight victories and Sacred Heart Prep on seven, according to Maxpreps.

After playoff losses in 2024 to Archbishop Mitty and 2023 to Santa Clara, will the third consecutive playoff appearance in as many years be a charm for the Gator girls' soccer team?