BOYS DIVISION II
No. 2 Mountain View 2, No. 5 Cardinal Newman 1
Mountain View’s fairy-tale season ended with a dream run all the way to the CIF NorCal Division II title.
Back in early January, Mountain View coach Jim McGuirk told the Bay Area News Group: “We are very, very inexperienced for a Mountain View High School team.”
The Spartans were placed behind the eight-ball when six of their players decided to play club soccer, which conflicted with the regular season. But despite all of that adversity, this Mountain View team ultimately accomplished something no Spartans group had ever done before.
With a 2-1 win over Cardinal Newman on Saturday, the Spartans secured their first-ever NorCal title in just their second-ever appearance. Turns out this shorthanded Mountain View squad is still pretty darn good.
Mountain View’s Akshay Chugh (9) celebrates with teammates after he scored the third goal of the game against Palo Alto in the second half of a boy’s soccer game at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Mountain View won 4-0. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“As far as I know, we are the only team in CCS that has made NorCal the last three years,” McGuirk told BANG Saturday night. “It’s been a great run. And to finish it with a win against a really strong Cardinal Newman team was very special. Made even more special by the fact that my son Patrick and his friends that I have known for many, many years were a big part of our success. It made this even more special for me personally.”
The Spartans (20-2-3) scored the game’s first goal on a tough finish by Aidan Wong. Wong fought off multiple defenders in the 18-yard box to put Mountain View on top.
Cardinal Newman (15-4-3) equalized with a goal in the 55th minute, but the Spartans still had something else to say about the outcome. Wong scored the game-winner off a breakaway set up by passes from teammates Caleb Toney and Parker Lunn, beating Cardinal Newman’s goalie into the corner of the net.
From there, it was all hands on deck time for Mountain View.
“We hung on for the last 10 minutes when they threw everything at us,” McGuirk said. “Lots of good high balls and set pieces. They also had a long throw-in guy, so we were constantly under pressure. Our center backs Brayden Graham and Patrick McGuirk had great games. So did our two outside backs Ayan Kothari and Sohum Kumar. And of course, as always, Parker Lunn was great in goal.”
Mountain View’s Aidan Wong (11) follows his shot to the net to score the first goal of the game against Palo Alto in the second half of a boy’s soccer game at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Mountain View won 4-0. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
GIRLS DIVISION IV
No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep 3, No. 1 Fresno Christian 2
Atherton’s Gators were also able to secure their first-ever NorCal title on Saturday in Fresno, pulling out a dramatic victory in stoppage time.
Leah Lynch’s header off a pass from Camryn Sheldon gave SHP a 3-2 win and ensured the Gators went home happy from the Central Valley.
SHP (14-7-3) opened the scoring with a first-half goal by Averie Sui, who took advantage of a great ball from Lewa White. Adding on in the immediate aftermath proved to be difficult.
“We then missed a few good chances, coupled by great saves by their GK,” said SHP coach Armando del Rio.
Fresno Christian (19-3) took advantage, scoring an equalizing goal on a counterattack after SHP goalkeeper Shannon Bennit made a strong save but could not secure the rebound.
Fresno went up 2-1 on a second-half penalty kick, but overall, the final 40 minutes belonged to the Gators.
“In a physical and aggressive game, SHP had a super strong second half, dominating possession and bombarding the Fresno goal, hitting the post multiple times,” del Rio said.
SHP tied the match with eight minutes remaining when Lynch buried a rebound off a shot from Lewa White. Lynch played the hero in stoppage time once again, netting a brace with her header into the upper right corner of the goal.
BOYS DIVISION V
No. 5 Piedmont 4, No. 7 Williams 1
The boys from Piedmont became the third Bay Area soccer team to win a NorCal title with a decisive margin of victory at home.
Piedmont finishes its season with a record of 13-9-4. Williams ends its year with a mark of 15-2-2.
BOYS DIVISION I
No. 4 Everett Alvarez 2, No. 6 De La Salle 1
It all started out so well for De La Salle.
The Spartans (19-5-3) went on top right off the top, scoring in the third minute with a goal by junior Calvin Virgilio off an assist from junior David Recoder.
But just as they did last week against Bellarmine, the Everett Alvarez boys wouldn’t let up. The Eagles (24-0-2) tied the game off a set piece later in the half and went up on another in the second half, clinching their first NorCal title in school history.
GIRLS DIVISION I
No. 2 St. Francis 1, No. 5 Archbishop Mitty 0
In a game that closely resembled the two teams’ matchup in the CCS Division I championship a week ago, St. Francis found a bit of magic on Miliani Makasini’s bending strike with seven minutes to play. Christian Babcock was in Mountain View and has the full story here.
BOYS DIVISION III
No. 1 Archie Williams 5, No. 2 Hillsdale 1
Hillsdale endured a tough loss on the road in San Anselmo to finish out its season in the D-III title game. The Fighting Knights end the year with an overall record of 21-1-2.
