GILROY — Despite the uncharted waters, Alvarez was able to put together a historic season on the field that deserves years of celebration.
The Eagles scored the first three goals in a 4-1 win over Soledad on Saturday at Christopher High in Gilroy to win the program's first Central Coast Section Division IV girls soccer title.
The 15 wins tie Alvarez (15-6-1) for a single-season school record, which he can break when he enters the Northern California regional tournament starting Tuesday.
“These girls worked hard to accomplish something that has never been done in program history,” Alvarez coach Magali Prieto said. “This is a great asset left by our seniors.”
The Eagles showed their cohesiveness on the field at the right time, finishing the season undefeated in their last six games and allowing just three goals in the postseason.
The top-seeded Eagles, who were runners-up in the Gavilan District and advanced to the title match by defeating Gunn in a shootout in Wednesday's semifinals, took a 2-0 lead early in the first half with two assists from Danya Rodriguez. .
Natalie Vargas scored with 10 minutes remaining, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Destiny Lopez produced two goals for Alvarez and Emma Reyes added one.
“I'm really excited and proud of our effort,” Alvarez captain Jenny Montez said. “Everyone did their part. I'm so excited to be a part of the CCS title and make history for our school.”
In the second half, Alvarez's tenacious defense kept the Mission Division champion and third-seeded Aztecs (17-4-3) off the scoreboard.
“This isn't over,” said Montez, a defensive standout along with Alexia Aguilar and Arely Rubio. “There's still (the Northern California Tournament) left. We're not done yet.”
Soledad, which advanced to the final by defeating second-seeded Willow Glen 1-0 in overtime on Wednesday, has 17 wins and is one win away from matching the school's record for wins set in 2016.
The Aztecs advanced to their second straight CCS Division IV final last year, losing 4-3 to eventual Northern California champion Hollister.
Gisele Zepeda produced Soledad's only goal late in the second half.
