Kelseyville outlasts St. Bernard in 2-1 double-overtime thriller at Kelseyville
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KELSEYVILLE >> Kelseyville High School girls soccer head coach Irma Rodriguez said she’s not exactly sure how Hiliana Rico scored in the second overtime of a 2-1 win over the St. Bernard Crusaders of Eureka on Friday night in the semifinals of the North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs, only that Rico’s game-winning shot landed in the net.
However, Rodriguez is completely sure of another thing. The Knights (21-1-1), undefeated North Central League I champions for a second year in a row and winners of 18 straight this season, are playing in the Division 1 championship game Wednesday night against No. 2 seed Eureka at 7 p.m. It’s the first sectional final the Kelseyville girls have reached in their soccer history, which means a first ever section championship awaits them if they can beat the Loggers (12-3-1), the undefeated Humboldt-Del Norte Pacific League champions.
“I don’t even know how to put tonight into words,” Rodriguez said after the Knights outlasted a playoff-hardened St. Bernard squad (NCS Division 3 champions in 2019, 2021-22 and 2024). “What a game, what a battle, and what a team. We are beyond proud of our Lady Knights. Every single one of these girls let their heart on the field tonight, and it showed from the first whistle to the very last kick.”
Kylee Denham staked Kelseyville to a 1-0 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The score remained right there until St. Bernard (13-6-2), champions of the Humboldt-Del Norte Redwood League this season, scored in the second half to pull even.
“The second half was an absolute battle,” Rodriguez said. “Both teams fought hard, going back and forth, determined to come out on top.”
The Crusaders missed a golden opportunity to take the lead later in the second half when they were awarded a penalty kick, but a tremendous stop by keeper Grace Hobbs left the score at 1-1.
“An incredible one-handed save,” Rodriguez said of Hobbs’ defensive gem. “Grace denied the goal and kept our Lady Knights alive. What a stop!”
After regulation time expired, the two teams battled through a scoreless first overtime. In the second overtime, the freshman Rico stepped up to win it.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m still trying to process what happened,” Rodriguez said. “The ball was bouncing around, ping-ponging off players … everyone was fighting for possession and somehow in the middle of all that chaos Hiliana got her foot on it and sent it into the net.”
Added Rodriguez, “The excitement, the emotions, the determination, the teamwork … I don’t think words can truly describe what we witnessed tonight. These girls never gave up. They fought for every ball, supported one another and played with so much heart.”
Rodriguez said she’s hoping to see the stands packed Wednesday night when the Knights try to make history by winning a first section title.
“One team, one dream and one more game,” she said.
GAME NOTES: While the Knights are gunning for a first section title, the Loggers are looking for their sixth. They won four straight between 2021-24 as well as the 2018 championship … Middletown (2019, Division 1) and Clear Lake (2001, Class A) are the only Lake County schools with section titles in girls soccer. Middletown would have been the odds-on favorite to repeat in 2020 – the Mustangs had all of their key players returning – but the season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic … Ferndale won last year’s Division 1 title … If the Knights beat Eureka they’ll match the school-record 22 games they won last season when they finished 22-2. The final of those two losses was a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Eureka in the semifinals at Kelseyville. That game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, the Knights scoring twice in the second half.
