Mercy advances to playoffs for 1st time in 10 years

The Crusaders (17-4 overall) earned thoroughfare into the Central Coast Section girls’ soccer playoffs with a 3-1 win over Sacred Heart Prep in the West Bay Athletic League play-in game Friday at Skyline College. Mercy-Burlingame’s last CCS appearance was in 2007-08.

Mercy goalkeeper Gen Flieder surrendered her first goal from the field against a WBAL opponent this season. The junior saw her streak of 11 straight shutouts end Wednesday in a 4-1 win over Harker, but that goal came on a penalty kick. It was SHP freshman Megan Tinsley who tallied the goal in the 63rd minute, closing it to 2-1.

The last goal from the field Flieder surrendered was Dec. 28 in a 4-1 non-league loss to Urban-San Francisco.

“I knew I was going to have to step it up (against SHP) because during the season, quite honestly, I didn’t get a lot of pressure,” Flieder said. “So we needed to step it up. And I thought we did that pretty well.”

Now Flieder and company are headed to the postseason, an extraordinary accomplishment considering the Crusaders have just two seniors on roster. They nearly advanced to the postseason last year, but had their hopes quashed in taking second place in the WBAL Skyline Division.

The Skyline Division is the lower division in the WBAL and is not guaranteed a playoff berth. The league gets four automatic CCS playoff berths. Three go to the top three finishers in the upper WBAL Foothill Division. The final spot is decided by the WBAL play-in game between the fourth-place team of the Foothill — in this year’s case, SHP — and the division champ from the Skyline — this year being Mercy.

“I was just really excited,” Flieder said of Friday’s play-in victory. “Our team really put it together. We had a good season and this was a great way to top it off. If feels great to be championships and to be going to CCS.”

Mercy has been a quick-strike team all season, but Friday had to earn its opportunities. SHP (6-13-1) came out on the offensive, earning two corner kicks before the Crusaders even went on the attack. Once they did, though, they earned a swift goal when sophomore Tori Wei converted in the sixth minute.

The Crusaders earned the chance after freshman Kayla Shaw sent in a cross from the far sideline to Wei, who needed two shots to convert. Her first try was deflected by SHP goalkeeper Caitlyn Perkocha. As the junior keeper lost her feet though, Wei gathered the loose ball off the deflection and peppered it in to give Mercy a 1-0 lead.

“Tori is probably one of our most improved players over the course of the season,” Mercy head coach Joel Snyder said. “So her impact is significant because we rely on her position to be an integral part of our offense.”

Midway through the first half, Mercy added to its lead. SHP again controlled time of possession, but the Crusaders’ midfield, led by freshman Elizabeth Bermudez, worked well to establish a line in the middle third. The freshman’s efforts earned her a great chance on the attack as she advanced across the penalty hash and fired a shot that just missed, winging off the upright.

SHP freshman Fiona Perkocha sprinted over to clear the ball, but Mercy regained control just outside the penalty box and generated another quick attack. This time the elder Bermudez sister, senior Sara Bermudez, rocked a beautiful arching shot into the top corner just past the all-out dive of Caitlyn Perkocha.

Not that the insurance goal was any comfort to Sara Bermudez.

“I don’t like 2-0,” said the elder Bermudez. “I think it’s too close. So I wanted to keep going.”

Her worries were realized when SHP scored in the 63rd minute, marking the first one-goal differential Mercy had faced in any second half in WBAL play this season. The last time the Crusaders faced such a narrow margin against a league opponent was Feb. 2, 2016 in a 1-1 halftime tie with Woodside Priory, a game Mercy went on to win 3-1.

And soon, the Crusaders would hang that same score on SHP.

“I think we responded well,” Sara Bermudez said. “We picked up on energy, pushed through it and we were able to get that next goal.”

That strike came in the 70th minute on a “pass” by Sara Bermudez, who turned a corner around a defender through the heart of the penalty box and attempted another lofty shot. This time, however, her angle ran parallel to the goal line and her attempt, while over the reach of the keeper, didn’t have the English to curl into goal.

But the attempt turned into a fortuitous assist pass as sophomore Isabel Bojorquez raced in to keep it inbounds just off the end line and, from just outside the post, banged in a bender to all but seal the win.

It was a disappointing closing chapter to SHP’s season. The Gators have a similarly young roster to Mercy’s. SHP has just three seniors of roster. The freshman class had a nice showing Friday though, with Tinsley scoring the Gators’ lone goal, and speedy forward Keegan Shaw getting past the defensive back row on several first-half possessions to keep SHP on the attack.

“The girls were a little disappointed just because they know they can play a lot better ball,” SHP assistant coach Sal Cerrillo said. “It’s a young squad … and inexperienced. But we talked to them about … learning from this challenge that’s been put to them this year and how to rectify it. … So they’re going to learn from this and they’re going to remember. And it’s going to be important for their development and the development of our program.”