The message in the pregame huddle was clear and concise.
“We've been waiting for this moment all season,” exclaimed captain McKenna Garrett.
Friday was a day to exorcise demons for the Fossil Ridge girls soccer team.
The SaberCats, who have always seemed talented but underperforming, have been plagued by playoff failures.
The core of this group felt it painfully last season when, as a No. 1 seed, they lost to No. 17 Rock Canyon in the second round of the playoffs.
It was just the latest in a long string of disappointments.
It's not Friday. This force is here to destroy the wall.
Fossil Ridge, the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A playoffs, scored early and then solidified its defense in a 1-0 second-round win over No. 18 Chaparral on Friday.
“They had confidence before the game started,” Fossil Ridge coach Cyrus Salehi said. “They were hungry, so as you can see, we started strong and then played a defensive game to shut them down.”
The goal came when Anna Rodgers ran in and smashed the rebound from Abby Barek's free kick into the goal. A defensive effort and goalie Shari Masters (5 saves) led to this goal.
But this was more than just one playoff win.
“We had a ghost to exorcise,” said Salehi, who is in his first year as Fossil Ridge's coach.
Fossil Ridge has always been blessed with talent but underperformed, and Salehi said his first goal is to change the mindset.
With the win, Fossil Ridge advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, when the SaberCats advanced to the semifinals. Over the past 10 years, there has been a string of early playoff losses. The No. 1 SaberCats have lost to No. 17 in the second round twice (2014 and 2023). From 2017 to 2019, they were eliminated in the second round every season.
“The first thing we needed to do was change the culture and mindset here. They believed. They bought in and did something that hadn't been done in a long time.” Salehi said.
These players were just young kids when the streak of early playoff eliminations began. But as the years have passed, so has the history, and an early exit as No. 1 a year ago helped lead to the team's current field.
“Winning is a culture. Winning is playing for the girl next to you. Winning is selfless football,” Salehi said. “I'm so proud of these girls.”
Now, for the first time since 2013, the SaberCats will be playing a quarterfinal game. Fossil Ridge will play No. 10 Heritage at Inglewood High School on Monday, May 13 at 5 p.m. The winner will advance to the semi-finals on May 15th.
“This is just the beginning,” Salehi said.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.