The Lady Bearcats tightened their laces, pulled up their hair, and put on their game faces to prepare themselves to take on the Atascadero Greyhounds on January 1st, 2022. With it being Senior Night they wanted nothing more than to claim the victory at home. After a tied game, two ten minute overtimes, and what seemed like a never-ending game, the final score was 5-3. The Bearcats won.
The game was a constant battle as the ball was bouncing between both teams’ halves throughout the game. Once the whistle blew to end the first 40 min half, the score was tied 0-0. The Bearcats and the Greyhounds continued to battle until the Greyhounds snuck in a breakaway and scored the first goal with 15 min left in the game. Then only 3 minutes later, junior Paula Uribe got knocked to the ground near the Bearcat’s 18-yard box with a (later reported) neck injury and 911 was alerted. The paramedics were on the scene causing a 20-minute delay. The crowd and teams were silent during the serious moments of the suspension of the game, and then the team gathered together joining hands, and senior and captain Rayvin Wulfing led them in a prayer for Uribe. Eventually, Uribe was carried off in a stretcher, and the game continued. The team huddled together and on a count of three they all chanted in unison, “FOR PAULA!”
Their prayers were answered when the Greyhounds got a handball in the 18-yard box resulting in a Penalty Kick for the Bearcats. Senior and other captain, Jasmine Solorio lined the ball up on the line and took her place to take her shot. The crowd went quiet and all eyes were on Solorio, the ball, and the Keeper. She took her shot and the crowd went berserk. The game was tied 1-1 and the final whistle blew. One of the parents from the lady Bearcats cheered out “Stick-to-it-ive-ness” to encourage the ladies to never give up because they have “done it before and they can do it again.”
With new rules for the Soccer league, if a team ties they must go into two 10 minute halves, with a rule of no golden goal. If they are still tied they go into Penalty kicks, best out of 5. So when the game ended 1-1 the lady Bearcats battled for another 20 minutes but the score remained 1-1.
The two teams lined up on the halfway mark of the field and first up was a player on the Greyhounds. She made her shot and next up was senior Reese Kobayashi. She took her shot and tied the game once again 2-2. The greyhounds sent another player out and she launched the ball over the goal. Senior Mairine Yaeger took the second PK shot putting the Bearcats ahead 3-2. Greyhounds scored. It was tied 3-3. Next, senior Liberty Sebart went up and launched her ball into the goal putting the Bearcats ahead once again 4-3. The pressure was on and the greyhounds had to make the next shot or their chances of winning would be slim so when the greyhound took her shot keeper and senior Roni Hinson launched her body out and saved the ball from hitting the back of the net.
Finally, Wulfing went up to take perhaps the final shot of the game, meaning if she made it the Bearcats would win the game. The crowd went silent once again and Wulfing struck the ball sending it into the top left corner of the goal right past the keeper’s gloves. The crowd went wild and the Bearcats sprinted toward Wulfing embracing her because all their hard work was paid off.
Seniors Braelyn Borene, Roni Hinson, Mairine Yaeger, Reese Kobayashi, Rylee Morain, Liberty Seebart, Jasmine Solorio, and Rayvin Wulfing were thrilled to have won the most important game of their final season.
photos by Rogelio Molina
