JASMINE AGUILAR PLAYS soccer at Mater Dei High School. Her brother, Marcel, also plays soccer for the Monarchs. Both are state champions.
SIBLINGS JASMINE AND MARCEL AGUILAR STRIKE A POSE ON MATER DEI’S SOCCER FIELD. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL
The Monarchs’ girls team defeated Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland, 2-0, in the CIF Division 1 State Championship finals on March 14 at Natomas High School in Sacramento.
Later that same day, on an adjacent field, the Mater Dei boys squad defeated Everett Alvarez of Salinas, 2-1, to capture the CIF Division 1 boys’ championship.
THE MATER DEI BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM DEFEATED EVERETT ALVAREZ OF SALINAS TO CAPTURE THE CIF DIVISION 1 BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP.
“Our parents are so proud of us,” said Jasmine, a senior. “Even our grandma on our dad’s side said ‘I’m going to make you guys a championship dinner.’ She makes the best Mexican food. I love it so much. I’m excited for that.”
In Sacramento, Jasmine and Marcel never got the chance to connect. The boys’ team was boarding the bus to the field when they heard the girls’ team was winning their match and when the boys arrived at the field, they could see the girls’ team celebrating.
“It was really good to see my sister celebrating with her team and I was just happy for the team and proud of their accomplishments,” said Marcel, a sophomore. “But we just had to focus on our game after that.”
After the girls’ game was finished, most of the players rushed over to the adjacent field to cheer on the boys, Jasmine said. The night after the match, after both teams had been crowned state champions, the girls were dining at a local restaurant when the boys’ team showed up.
“And that is when I saw Marcel and we were both congratulating each other,” said Jasmine, who has accepted to a scholarship to play soccer at Cal State Los Angeles.
Marcel still has time to decide where to attend college but said he if he had to choose now, he would play at the University of North Carolina.
Both play for the same club program, Legends FC soccer club in Norco and both make the daily commute to Mater Dei from their home in Corona.
MONARCHS BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ SOCCER TEAMS MAKE HISTORY
For the first time in the history of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the governing body for high school sports in California, state championship matches were held in boys’ and girls’ soccer, with the Southern California champion playing the Northern California champion for the state title. Previously, the season ended with the Northern and Southern California state championship matches.
THE MATER DEI GIRLS’ SOCCER TEAM DEFEATED BISHOP O’DOWD OF OAKLAND IN THE CIF DIVISION 1 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH HELD MARCH 14.
The Mater Dei boys’ and girls’ soccer teams made history, both winning their respective state championship matches.
The girls defeated Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland, 2-0, in the CIF Division 1 State Championship match and the Mater Dei boys squad defeated Everett Alvarez of Salinas, 2-1, to capture the CIF Division 1 boys’ championship.
While both teams hoisted state championship trophies, their respective paths to Sacramento were quite different.
The boys (21-1-3) were dominant from start to finish and were ranked the No.1 team in the state for most of the season. The boys finished first in the Trinity League, which is stacked with highly ranked teams. They went on to capture the CIF Southern Section Open Division title with a 2-0 victory over league rival Orange Lutheran on Feb. 28 at El Modena High School in Orange.
“We lost the year prior in the quarterfinals of the Open Division, so I think our guys had a chip on their shoulder for the entire year,” boys coach Sean Ganey said. “Our group worked really hard. We put a lot into on the players’ side and the coaching side.”
After dominating the first round of league play, the Monarchs opened the second round of games with a loss to Servite followed by a tie against Orange Lutheran.
“We were able to use that as fuel for our guys,” Ganey said. “I brought them into the gym, probably after the Servite game and said, ‘Look, there is a space right there for another banner. I believe in you guys. I know you believe in each other. Let’s collectively say we can do it together and we did. I give all the credit to our players.”
The Monarchs faced Orange Lutheran again in the Southern Section Open Division finals and defeated the Lancers, 2-0, to win the championship. In the CIF Division 1 playoffs, Mater Dei defeated Santa Monica, 2-0, El Camino Real, 2-1, and then defeated Del Norte, 1-0, to advance to the state championship. Senior Santiago Schelotto led the Monarchs with 17 goals, senior James Obleda scored 12 goals and senior Matthew Miranda had 11 goals.
On the girls’ side, the road to the championship was marked with a bit more adversity.
“We opened up (league play) with a draw against Santa Margarita,” coach Matty West said. “We earned the draw and were feeling pretty good about the start of the Trinity League, but every game got progressively more challenging.”
The Monarchs (19-3-8) finished in third place in the Trinity League, finishing behind first-place JSerra and Santa Margarita.
Mater Dei was defeated by league rival Santa Margarita, 3-0, in the Southern Section Open Division finals, making their road to the Division 1 state championship more difficult. After winning their first two Southern California Division 1 matches, the Monarchs faced Santa Margarita in the Southern California championship.
The all-Trinity League championship match was the fourth time the Eagles and Monarchs faced off this season.
After losing twice and finishing in a 1-1 tie, the Monarchs defeated Santa Margarita, 2-0, on March 14 to win the Southern California championship and advance to Sacramento.
“We did want another chance to play them,” West said of the rematch against the Eagles. “It just so happened it was in the regional final and a lot of things came together. The girls used the previous experiences against Santa Margarita and our tough pre-season schedule. It was a magical experience.”