Sports

Redwood Meets Familiar Foe in NCS Soccer Finals

The Giants have squared off with Marin Catholic twice during the MCAL regular season, and tied both matches, an outcome that won't happen Saturday with the section title on the line.

and Marin Catholic met twice during the Marin County Athletic League girls soccer season without there ever being a winner.

That’s guaranteed to change the third time around.

When the Giants and Wildcats hook up Saturday at 2 p.m. at Marin Catholic, the North Coast Section championship will be at stake in the battle of MCAL powers.

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“We’re prepared. We’ve been getting better and better each game,” boasted Redwood coach Jason Werner. “We’re finding out more and more what works for us and what doesn’t, and the girls are getting more disciplined sticking with what works.”

The Giants have had a lot working for them in the NCS tournament. In wins over College Prep-Berkeley, Drake and University-San Francisco, Redwood has scored eight goals without having surrendered a single tally.

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The Giants also had a shutout the last time they faced Marin Catholic. Then again, the Wildcats recorded one, too, in a 0-0 draw, which followed an earlier 1-1 tie in the rivalry.

“Marin Catholic will be a much more difficult opponent (than University),” Werner warned. “The MCAL is such a tough league. That’s what prepared us for University.”

Being familiar with Saturday’s foe gives Werner a good idea what his team must do well in order to capture the section title.

“In our last half-dozen games, we’ve created a lot of opportunities, but haven’t taken care of business,” he said. “First and foremost, we have to finish our chances.

“They (the Wildcats) have a couple of good threats, especially on free kicks. We have to be mindful of where their kids are -- mindful of not committing silly fouls and setting up free kicks.”

Werner said his team “played really well” in the semifinal win over University on Wednesday. and provided the goals in a 2-0 win.

Interestingly, Werner believes the offensive key Saturday will be two other players – Olivia Do and Kelly Groves.

“One of the reasons we’ve been successful is we have a lot of people contributing and scoring goals,” he noted. “Olivia Do and Kelly Groves … when one of them scores, we win an overwhelming percentage of the games.

“If they contribute (Saturday), then we’re in great shape.”

Trutner’s all-around play is another critical factor for the Giants.

“, Zoe Trutner and Molly Tracy … when they’ve played well, we’ve been tough to beat,” Werner assured.

The coach doesn’t think playing on the road will be a factor Saturday.

“None of the girls had even heard of the place we played (Wednesday in San Francisco), so I don’t think it’s going to matter,” he said. “It’s just right down the road.”


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