South City girls’ soccer makes history with program’s first CCS title

Last season finished in historic but disappointing fashion, with South City advancing to its first CCS final, only to fall in the championship match. But this year, the No. 3-seed Warriors would not be denied, rallying Saturday at top-seed Monterey (7-1-0) for a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory to bring home the CCS Division IV trophy, marking the first section title in program history.

“Once the ref blew the (final) whistle … all of us were screaming, and some of us were crying,” said Fatima Waldo Garcia, South City’s only four-year varsity senior. “I was just kind of overwhelmed. I actually really couldn’t believe it … because I got so close the last three years with the prior teams and I know I just really wanted to end my senior season like this.”

Waldo Garcia played a key part in scoring the game-winning goal in the final minute of the second overtime period.

Amid a 0-0 tie, and the game on the verge of going to penalty kicks, the Warriors earned a free kick just outside the penalty box. And when Waldo Garcia’s attempt got pushed out of bounds to set up a corner kick, South City went to one of the proven plays in its playbook.

“These girls have kind of made a history of having these dramatic moments,” South City head coach Brian Mansell said. “This was no different. It was the same thing.”

The Warriors used the same play in last year’s quarterfinal against Sequoia to score the equalizer. Waldo Garcia made a short pass off the corner kick to junior midfielder Bianca Gonzalez, who drove up the end line and tried for a short, angled shot. While Gonzalez’s shot was deflected, freshman Kaylie Chang was stationed right in front of the goalkeeper to pick up the rebound, and her quick instincts sent a follow-up shot inside the roof of the cage to give the Warriors the lead with less than a minute to play.

Chang was in the right place at the right time on purpose. The freshman’s assignment upon the inbound pass was to act as a shield in front of the goalie. The tactic was such a disruption just outside the keeper’s box that the referee had to intervene to halt the players jockeying for position just prior to the inbound.

“I just threw everyone in the box because I didn’t want to go to penalty kicks,” Mansell said.

It was the third goal of the season for Chang.

South City goalkeeper Jianna Nabung continued her inspired postseason play, denying several advances with her aggressive style. The junior ran the table through the CCS tournament, earning three straight shutouts. The Warriors defeated No. 2 Luis Valdez Leadership Academy-San Jose 6-0 in last Wednesday’s semifinal. The previous Saturday, South City opened the postseason with a 2-0 victory over No. 6 Crystal Springs Uplands.

As for Waldo Garcia, the senior almost didn’t don South City blue this season. After suffering a torn ankle ligament last November while playing for her San Francisco Elite Academy club team, she was determined to get back on her feet while returning exclusively to club play. The senior had much to prepare for, readying to play at University of San Francisco next season on a partial athletic scholarship.

“I was really debating whether I should play with my high school team,” Waldo Garcia said. “I didn’t know if it would be too much to play high school because I was really focused on my club team and just getting back from this injury.”

Waldo Garcia didn’t play in South City’s first five games but attended all the matches as a spectator. Then come April 22, the senior had a change of heart when she watched the Warriors lose 3-0 to Aragon. She said all she wanted to do was run down to the field to help the team.

So, the following day, she took her physical and ramped up to make her season debut April 27 in South City’s rivalry game against El Camino.

“I don’t regret anything at all,” Waldo Garcia said. “I’m so glad I decided to do that. Honestly, I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. But that was a challenge. I wanted to play and be there for the team and motivate them to do great because I just know that they’re all capable of being great.”

It was an exhausting decision though. Like many players this season — which, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, allows for players to moonlight with their high school and club teams, concurrently — Waldo Garcia is maintaining the busiest of soccer schedules.

“We don’t have really strong depth,” Mansell said. “So, our girls pretty much played the full hundred minutes. … Everyone was exhausted at the end.”

That’s just the start of it for Waldo Garcia.

After playing all 100 minutes of Saturday’s CCS championship match, she had to double back from Monterey to play for San Francisco Elite late that afternoon in Pacifica. She logged approximately 75 minutes in the nightcap, then woke up Sunday and played in another club game in Pacifica.

“It’s a routine really,” Waldo Garcia said. “I love it. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Mansell said he is optimistic South City can maintain a high level of play in future seasons. The Warriors touted a majority of underclassman starters this season, including four freshmen. The only starting senior the team loses to graduation is Waldo Garcia, though it’s a substantial loss. The senior played in the CCS playoffs in each of her four varsity seasons.

“I think the one thing that remains the same is our mentality that all of the players that came in, we knew that we wanted to win league and even CCS,” Waldo Garcia said. “We have this great, great mindset of putting the team first and just wanting to win.”