Sequoia girls’ soccer team heading to Central Coast Section finals

Benway has been the Ravens’ most explosive scorer this season, and recorded Wednesday’s lone goal. With high-profile prep soccer players being tasked with moonlighting between their high school teams and their competitive club schedules, an injury such as Benway’s could be seen as an inevitability in the grand scheme of things.

“I’ve had a lot of overuse injuries,” Benway said. “And especially this season because we ended up playing club and high school at the same time. So, it kind of doubled. But I’ve been having some problems recently with me hamstrings. … It was just the sprinting at the end was a little too much, I think.”

Still, Benway and her fellow Ravens (6-3-3) were all smiles following the historic win. With it, Sequoia advances to the CCS finals for the first time in program history. The Ravens will play for the Division II title Saturday against No. 1 Lincoln at a site and time to be determined.

“I think we’re still pretty happy,” Sequoia head coach Melissa Schmidt said. “Obviously we’re worried about her. But she’s such an incredible team member and, four years of her, everything she does is pretty special.”

Benway didn’t rule out a return for Saturday’s championship finale. And she’s certainly a big reason the Ravens have gotten this far.

The senior emerged like a bolt of lightning Wednesday to score in the 36th minute, receiving the ball just across midfield and running with two defenders until she exacted an angle around them through the penalty box to create an angle on goal. Her shot looked to be an attempt to thread a needle between the M-A keeper and the near crossbar, and the goalie initially got both hands on the sharp shot, but she couldn’t field it cleanly. The ball subsequently twisted off her hands and trickled into goal for the game’s only score.

“I was trying to cut it in a little bit more so I could play it far post,” Benway said. “But then it kind of ended up the way I got my foot on the ball it ended up going near post, and I kind of got lucky that it slipped through her hands.”

Sequoia was on the attack from the outset. The crisp tempo saw the Ravens mount pressure and more pressure in the opening 10 minutes, something for which this squad had been notorious over the past two years since moving up ranks from the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division to the upper Bay Division in 2019-20.

“We’ve been working a lot on passing and moving and controlling the pace, and I think this was one of the best games we’ve played technically all year,” Schmidt said. “And it all kind of came together.”

From the limber footwork of freshman Addison Haws, to the nose for the goal of junior Nathalie Franco, the Ravens were denied several good chances in the opening half. Franco twice was left in frustration, with her head in her hands, after two great looks went by the wayside, including a cross from Haws right to her at the top of the keeper’s box that got pounded right into keeper Angelina Edwards’s hands in the 17th minute.

It was ultimately the speed of Benway that won the day. It’s a sight Schmidt witnessed when the now senior walked onto the Sequoia pitch as a freshman for varsity tryouts. Schmidt recounted her first impression of the then freshman burning two senior defenders in an early tryout. Benway has been utilizing her wheels on the varsity squad ever since.

“She’s been doing that for four years, honestly,” Schmidt said. “Her technical skills are so spot on and you combine that with her speed, it’s just amazing. And she’s a smart, smart player too.”

M-A (4-4-5) made some adjustments in the second half to settle its back rank. Senior defenders Lexi Quinn and Juliet Dineen led the charge pushing the action forward, and the Bears continued to mix in four attackers in an attempt to make something happen.

“In the start of the game I think we were flustered,” Dineen said. “So, at halftime, we just talked about settling down and playing our game, really keeping our positioning. So, I think that helped us a lot to calm the game down and make it a little more even.”

The best chance the Bears produced in the second half, however, was a last-gasp effort in the closing minutes. M-A earned a deep throw-in taken by sophomore Susie Wagstaff, whose long heave rattled around traffic in front of the goal and kicked back to her for a decent look. Wagstaff delivered the ball but it went sailing well over the cross, all but ending the night.

“I think we played a solid game, and we had some opportunities that we weren’t able to finish,” Dineed said. “But I think we have a lot of good things coming for our team in the future. So, I’m looking forward for the years to come from this team and I’m sad that I have to leave. But it’s been a great few years.”

M-A head coach Jason Luce tipped his proverbial cap to Sequoia, a team that has emerged as a viable league rival for the powerhouse Bears over the past two seasons.

“I feel like this year was a weird year because you weren’t sure about getting playoffs or even if we were going to do it,” Luce said. “So, coming up to the last day to get to the playoffs, we weren’t even sure what was going on. Just to get in was fun and to get a win (in the quarterfinals). And Sequoia, they played their hearts out today. To be fair, that’s a good result. They beat us. And I wish them all the luck.”

As for Benway, she was upbeat and thrilled about her team’s place in Sequoia history following the win.

“It’s really awesome because I think this is the first time Sequoia girls’ soccer has ever gotten to the finals,” Benway said. “It’s really cool.”