Ocean View High girls’ soccer junior goalkeeper Sydnie Enriquez knelt down after the final whistle Friday night, tears filling her eyes.
While the emotion was immediate, so was the response. Her teammates quickly surrounded her at the north end of the stadium, giving her hugs and words of encouragement.
“I was down there, obviously having a hard time,” said Enriquez, a three-year varsity starter in goal. “But once I heard their voices, it made me feel like I was at home. We’re so close as sisters.”
Team camaraderie led an impressive turnaround this year for Coach Shane Palmer’s Seahawks, who made team history by making their first CIF Southern Section title match.
Ocean View’s Sofia Matos (26) battles for the ball against Segerstrom’s Johanna Cruz (8) during Friday night’s match.
(James Carbone)
But a relentless Segerstrom attack earned a 4-0 decision in the Division 6 final at Ocean View High.
Freshman Aymar Salgado scored a pair of header goals for Segerstrom (15-2-6), the Orange Coast League champion. Ocean View was the Orange Coast League runner-up. The Jaguars outscored the Seahawks by a combined 7-0 in the team’s three meetings, behind sophomore goalkeeper Isabel Valdivia.
The season isn’t over for Ocean View (13-7-3). The Seahawks have earned the top seed in the CIF Southern California Regional Division V playoffs, and host No. 8 Coastal Academy on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Ocean View goalkeeper Sydnie Enriquez (9) is consoled by teammates Olive Kravetz (99), Charlotte Johnson (30) and Isla Madsen (14) following a Segerstrom goal Friday night.
(James Carbone)
The regional semifinals are Thursday, with the regional final set for Saturday. This year, there is also a state championship match for the first time, and it will be held on March 13.
After a CIF quarterfinals appearance in 2024 guided by senior striker Isis Salazar, arguably the best player in team history, the Seahawks suffered through an 0-16-2 season a year ago. The vibes were different this season.
“If anything, what I would say that I learned as a coach was maybe to be even a better listener than an instructor,” Palmer said. “I really took the girls and what they said this year, and we came together as a group and we found a way to win.”
Ocean View’s Dyana Padilla (15) kicks the ball up the field against Segerstrom on Friday night.
(James Carbone)
However, Ocean View was banged up coming into the CIF championship match. Senior captain Marisa Vo, the Seahawks’ leading goal scorer with 16 goals, had missed the CIF semifinal match after being injured in the quarterfinals.
Wearing a large knee brace, she tried to give it a go Friday night but was helped off the field in the second half. Junior midfielder Yesenia Damian Gonzalez, who generated several chances for Ocean View early in the match, soon had to exit as well, although she returned in the second half.
“It’s the last one, right?” Vo said. “You might as well [try to play]. I think we had a lot of girls just like that, and I think our grit, it went all the way. We played our hardest out there. It was awesome to see all of the girls play and get a chance to get on the field, feel what it feels like to be CIF finalists. We deserved to be here.”
Ocean View’s Delaney Johnson (8) tries to control the ball against Segerstrom on Friday night.
(James Carbone)
Ocean View had a couple of good chances early with senior strikers Devynn Foster and Sofia Matos. But Segerstrom took the lead in the 29th minute, as Salgado connected on the header goal off a corner kick by fellow freshman Isabella Barrera.
The Jaguars then hit for three goals in five minutes midway through the second half to put the match away. Barrera scored a beautiful goal which Enriquez rightly called a “banger,” stopping a clearance attempt on the left side before rifling a cross-cage shot into the upper-right corner.
Segerstrom sophomore Jewel Orellana then added a goal before Salgado completed the scoring on another header, coming from a Barrera free kick.
Segerstrom’s Aymar Salgado (20) celebrates after scoring a goal against Ocean View on Friday night.
(James Carbone)
Salgado said the header goals were her first of the season for Segerstrom, which was also making its first CIF title match appearance.
“It feels so good to make history as a freshman,” Salgado said. “It just uplifts my confidence so high. It’s just so big to me. I’m so glad to make history with this team.”
Palmer highlighted the play of Enriquez, who played well despite being under pressure for much of the match. Ocean View freshman Olive Kravetz was also a valuable ball-winner in the back.
Despite the loss, Ocean View will try to make a run in the state playoffs. Senior midfielder Charlotte Johnson, a 5-foot-11 team captain who scored the free kick goal in the semifinals to lift the team to its first CIF final, said playing in a title match at home in front of hundreds of fans was a memorable experience.
Ocean View’s Yesenia Damien Gonzalez (10) plays defense against Segerstrom’s Johanna Cruz (8) during Friday’s match.
(James Carbone)
“I’ve seen football games with less people here, so this is really cool,” Johnson said. “The feeling, I can’t even describe it.”
Vo said this year’s team has really encapsulated the school’s slogan, “You can’t spell love without OV.”
“We became like sisters, like a family,” Vo said. “Going from a losing team to now being CIF finalists and going to state, it definitely changes your perspective on how far a team bond and chemistry can go, how impactful that is to soccer. It’s a crazy thing to think about, and I think we’re just going to play with all of the grit we have, play hard and with nothing to lose. We made it that far, and we’re proud of ourselves for that.”
Ocean View’s Charlotte Johnson (30) raises the CIF finalist plaque and celebrates with her teammates after the Seahawks fell to Segerstrom on Friday night.
(James Carbone)