A banner day for Lady Gators

SHP, the top seed in the Division I bracket, completed one of the most dominating postseason runs in recent memory as Gators shut down second-seeded Carondelet-Concord, 11-4, Saturday afternoon at Sacred Heart Prep.

It completed a run that saw SHP (27-2) win all it could. The Gators won the West Catholic Athletic League regular-season and tournament titles, the Central Coast Section Open Division crown and now the Nor Cal championship, which puts the 2024 team into the conversation of best SHP girls’ team ever.

“We have an amazing group of players,” said SHP senior Vivian Golub, who scored a match-high six goals. “It’s definitely special to have collected some medals (this season).”

Despite her prolific number of goals in the championship game, Golub said that’s just how it worked out Saturday.

“We have a whole team that can score,” Golub said. “There is not one person that has to put the team on their shoulders.”

While the Gators are prolific scorers, it’s really their defense that has anchored this run of playoff domination. In six games — three in the CCS Open Division tournament and three in the Nor Cal bracket — the Gators allowed just 26 goals, an average of just over four goals per match.

“Goals go in or they don’t,” said SHP head coach Jamie Frank. “[Defense] is the one of the few things you can control.”

And that defense is anchored by goalie Ellison Brush, who was nearly unbeatable again as she finished with 14 saves.

“ She’s such a force,” Golub said. “She makes us feel comfortable and confident (playing in front of her).”

Said Frank: “[Brush] was just nails. We’re not here without her.”

As has been the case for much of the playoffs, SHP got off to a methodical start. Casey Coleman opened the scoring for SHP before Golub scored two straight to give the Gators a 3-1 lead after the first period.

Goals from Natalia Szczerba and Kiernan Hogan had people thinking blowout as SHP built a 5-1 lead with 4:48 left in the first half. But Carondelet (23-6) answered with back-to-back goals over the final 1:44 to get back in the match, trailing 5-3 at halftime.

But the third quarter has belonged to SHP during the postseason and Saturday was no exception as the Gators outscored the Cougars 4-1 to take complete control of the match. Golub scored a natural hat trick in the period — scoring on a 5-meter penalty shot, scoring from the right post and then scoring on a one-timer in front, taking a pass from Cal McElhinney and splitting a pair of defenders for a 9-4 lead going into the fourth.

Any thought of a Cardondelet comeback were snuffed out by Brush on a pair of back-to-back, point-blank saves. Golub rounded out her scoring on the day from the right point, off an assist Hogan.

Hogan then capped the scoring off an assist from Megan Newby with about two-and-half minutes to play. At that point, it was time for the coaching staff to prepare for the celebratory jump into the pool.

“You expect big players to step up in big games and we did that,” Frank said.