CUPERTINO — Santa Cruz High sophomore soccer talent Julia Moore may be small, but she packs a punch. Homestead learned that in the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals Wednesday, after Moore produced her second goal — the winning goal — in the 79th minute of a the Cardinals’ 3-2 victory.
And teammate Summer Laskey learned that, too, literally. Laskey was flattened by Moore as she leaped into her arms during the post-goal celebration. The Cardinals sprinted in to not only join the celebration, but to check to see if their teammates were injured.
Laskey and the Cardinals are more than alive, they’re in the final for a second straight year under coach Jay Gomez. The No. 3 seed Cardinals (15-3-5) — the runner-up to Aptos in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League — play in Saturday’s championship against either No. 4 South San Francisco (15-3-2) or No. 1 Capuchino (14-3-4). The site and time haven’t yet been announced by the CCS.
“It’s awesome,” Moore said. “It’s cool that we’ve come this far from where we left off. And now we’re right back at it.”
Santa Cruz, in a final for the 10th time in school history, is seeking its sixth CCS title and first since 2010.
“We’ve been talking about preparing for this moment, this friction, and the goal was fantastic,” Gomez said. “That was fun to see. I’m happy for them.”
It’s the second straight game the Cardinals pulled off late-game heroics to extend their season. They eliminated No. 6 Leland in 4-3 in overtime in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
And it’s the second straight year the Cardinals narrowly ousted the Mustangs. Santa Cruz prevailed in a penalty-kick shootout in the 2019 quarterfinals after finishing regulation tied at 1-all.
Mustangs coach John Luotto was on the far side of the pitch during the winning strike. As the play unfolded, he knew it wasn’t looking good for his team.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to say the word,” Luotto said of what went through his head, “something like, ‘Oh shoot.’ I’ve been watching the game for 60 years, you know. It’s like, ‘OK, this might not end well.’ ”
Homestead jumped out to the lead in the 28th minute, when a clear attempt a shot from Ella Goodwin — which likely would’ve sailed wide left — was redirected into the net, past goalie Victoria Jones.
Santa Cruz, which shined in the opening and closing 12 minutes of the first half, tied the score 1-all on blast from Moore in traffic from 30 yards out in the 30th minute. She has 12 goals this season.
But any momentum gained was lost during halftime. Homestead controlled the attack early in the second half, taking the lead for a second time after Fabiola Zamora avoided a hand-ball violation while gathering a pass from Adele Basturk and sending a missile past Jones in the 45th minute.
But it could’ve been more for the Mustangs.
“I thought our girls played really well,” Luotto said. “I was proud of them. Certainly most of the second half, they took it to Santa Cruz, a wonderful team, but they took it to them. Soccer can be a cruel game sometimes. The ball bounces in a funny way. And when you lose focus for a minute against good players and good teams, they’ll make you pay. … You need to solve the final third, right?”
Whether it was Santa Cruz getting used to Homestead’s physical play, the refreshing breeze that kicked up on the 75-degree afternoon, or the pure desire to extend the season one more game, the Cardinals woke up.
“It was hot out, but same conditions; they were playing what we were playing,” Moore said. “It really took the whole team tonight. It wasn’t just a couple of us. It took every single player. So that made a big difference.”
In their first real threat of the second half, the Cardinals drew a foul on the right side of the pitch, just outside of the box. Jasmine Nguyen took the free kick and sent it to the far past, where senior Jaden Moore headed it in to knot the score at 2-all. She was one happy player after tallying her eight goal of the year.
Jaden missed last postseason with an ACL tear, so she was a bit animated after scoring the equalizer, her eighth goal of the year.
“Her reaction, we can all tell how much it meant,” Julia Moore said. “We knew we were still in this match. That was really cool to experience.”
Jaden Moore said she wants to head to college with a CCS championship medal.
“This year, I really want to win CCS,” she said.
The Cardinals were steady on the attack the remainder of the way, giving up a few counter attacks and shots Jones pounced on. The goalie made five saves in the second half.
Santa Cruz nearly scored goals in the 73rd and 77th minutes. Nguyen had her shot from 26 yards out hit the crossbar and, four minutes later, Mustangs goalie Taylor Ortiz stopped one-on-one attempt Laskey, which was set up by Jade Hays.
Julie Moore didn’t miss in the 79th.
“I think it’s about the journey and not the destination,” Gomez said of his team’s late-game production. “I think we’re staying in the moment and continuing to fight and to claw and to grind.”
That didn’t always happed in SCCAL play this season, he pointed out.
He continued: “I think we’re taking some good experience and putting it to good use here — at the best time.”
The Score
Santa Cruz 3, Homestead 2
Up next: CCS D-II Championship, No. 3 Santa Cruz vs. TBD
When: Saturday, site and time TBA
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Julia Moore’s final-minute goal rallies Santa Cruz past Homestead in D-II semifinals | CCS girls soccer - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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