State champs: Sierra soccer blanks Golden West to win 3C2A state title

After years of knocking on the door, the Sierra College women's soccer program broke through on the biggest stage Sunday morning, defeating Golden West 2-0 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo to win the first 3C2A State Championship in program history. From the opening whistle, the Wolverines dominated the match. Sierra dictated possession, tempo and territory, outshooting Golden West 11-0 and netting two goals in the first 36 minutes. Addison Johnson, the team's leading scorer, gave Sierra the early breakthrough in the sixth minute. Off a corner from Taylor Ruiz, the ball was flicked forward by Josie Young and fell to Johnson's feet inside the box. She hammered home her 16th goal of the season and second of the tournament to put the Wolverines in front. "The early goal set the tempo, we had good energy as a complete team from the bench to the players on the field everyone was in it," said Sierra coach Jason Gantt. "You could feel the positive energy. " The early strike elevated Sierra's control. Golden West struggled to break out of its half as the Wolverines continued applying pressure and winning midfield battles. Gantt said the early goal gave the Wolverines even more energy throughout the remainder of the first half and was the catalyst for the dominant performance. "We talked about matching their effort and connecting after we got the initial goal," said Gantt. "They played very direct. The goal's timing was huge, it continued the energy from the initial kickoff and helped propel the rest of the half." In the 36th minute, the cushion doubled when Sierra's Olivia Sisto lofted a high-arcing shot from 25 yards out that drifted over goalkeeper Mia Cook and tucked inside the far post. It was Sisto's third goal of the year and sent Sierra into the break leading 2-0. "Olivia really stepped it up starting in the Elite 8 game and her confidence has grown each game," said Gantt. "She was very composed on the ball in the first half before the goal, and she had a great first touch that opened up the opportunity for the shot and the shot was a worldie." The Wolverines remained in command after halftime, continuing to frustrate the Rustlers while allowing almost nothing in transition. Golden West didn't register its first shot on goal until the 61st minute. Golden West's best chance came in the 70th minute when Abby Quinlan rose for a header inside the box but pushed it wide of the right post. The Rustlers never came any closer. "Stella-Grace Tamayo and Allison Dennett in the center of the back were tremendous," said Gantt of his backline's dominance. "They won balls and connected passes to start the attack, Aaliyah Ellis had great tenacity and kept them pinned into their defensive end. It was a very collective defensive effort from us." Sierra controlled possession through the final stretch and absorbed the pressure, surviving a late scare when a misplayed ball nearly resulted in an own-goal. By the final whistle, the numbers matched the eye test: Sierra outshot Golden West 17-3 overall and 6-2 in shots on target. Sierra sophomore midfielder Josie Young was named Tournament MVP, finishing the weekend with a goal, an assist and playing a pivotal role in the program's long-awaited championship run. "Josie was brilliant the entire campaign. She scored goals off of set pieces or had an assist in every game starting in the Sweet 16. She may be the most dominant player in the air I have ever seen at this level," said Gantt. "As a defensive center mid she put together complete games on both sides of the ball in both the semifinal and final." The Wolverines finished their championship season 19-2-4 overall and as winners of 11 straight with an unbeaten streak dating to Oct. 10.