Rachel Mull’s hat trick lifts Cañada College women’s soccer to 3-0 record

As a 2022 graduate of Woodside, Mull was a four-time All-Peninsula Athletic League girls’ soccer player. As a senior, however, she had to transition from forward to midfielder to make room for a new addition to the Wildcats, eventual Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of California, Elise Evans. They grew into a stellar combination and led Woodside to a PAL Bay Division championship and an appearance in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs.

Then a funny thing happened. Mull, after being admitted academically to Auburn University, discovered her college admission didn’t start until the spring of the 2022-23 school year. The fiasco turned out to be a big win for the Cañada lady kickers.

“I didn’t know if the chemistry was going to be there at first but through the practice and the summer, it’s paid off and carried over into our games,” Mull said.

It sure has. Cañada is off to a 3-0 start this season, including a dramatic 3-2 home victory last Friday against Los Medanos-Pittsburg. Mull recorded her first collegiate hat trick — raising her season total to four goals in three games — to deliver the victory for the surging Colts.

“I like being the one to give the assist,” Mull said reflecting on her senior year at Woodside, “but I like scoring too.”

Mull had never met Cañada head coach Katie Osbourne during her playing days at Woodside. Osbourne recruited Mull’s longtime teammate Giselle Gutierrez, who is also a freshman with the Colts. When it became clear in May her admission to Auburn wouldn’t happen until after the 2022-23 college season, she quickly coordinated with Woodside head coach Jose Navarrete and took an impromptu meeting via text message with Cañada’s eighth-year head coach.

Navarrete was a good reference to have, seeing as Mull earned plenty of street cred by virtue of her position change last season.

“It worked well because Rachel is a very versatile player,” Navarrete said. “She can play up front and she can play midfield on the width.”

Now, Mull is front an attack backed by Cañada’s foursome of midfielders Gutierrez, Yara Gomez-Zavala, Emmiko Kimura and Stephanie Gomez. This has been the key to the Colts’ early success, Mull said.

“I think because our strength is in our midfield … so when we play out of them, we’re a lot better,” Mull said. “Because they’re fast on the ball they can get it to me in the middle and then I can get it out to the wings.”

The chemistry loomed large in the early going against Los Medanos as the Colts jumped out to a 2-0 lead, running their streak to start the year seven straight goals without their defense surrendering one.

Mull scored approximately 30 minutes into the game. Katelyn Hennerbry earned the assist after driving up the sideline and send a cross into Mull, who took a touch around a defender and knocked it in the right corner. Then off the second-half kickoff, Gomez-Zavala sent a long pass over the top that was initially intercepted, but a defensive bobble allowed Mull to take it back off the right side and loft it over the keeper’s head.

“When we build rather than play direct, when we improvise, we’re a lot better on the ball,” Mull said.

Los Medanos gave the Colts a scare though. An unassisted goal by Tatiana Elsea, followed by a penalty kick by Kim Garcia tied it 2-2. Then, inside the final 10 minutes, when Cañada earned a PK of its own off a Los Medanos penalty in the box, the Colts took a gut-punch when Mustangs keeper Sam Nash denied Gomez-Zavala’s penalty kick.

Cañada, however, kept the pressure up, grabbed the rebound, and a minute later took the lead on Mull’s third goal of the day, fed by an assist pass from Sophia “Ziggy” Zygarewicz.

Mull said she isn’t sure the last time she scored a hat trick. One thing is for sure though, she sure is happy to return to the attacking tier of the lineup.

“Yeah, I enjoy it,” Mull said. “It’s fun.”