The early morning kickoff time may have caused for a sluggish start, as St. Ignatius and Freedom were tied at the half in the Tri-Valley Classic on Friday morning.
The Wildcats (6-1) found their footing late in the second half, however, scoring three times to race past Freedom (1-1-3) for the 4-1 victory. Junior Alexandra Lotti's late goal capped the flurry of second-half scoring, after a back-and-forth first half left the teams tied at the break.
Senior Sophia Marchesotti gave SI an early 1-0 lead, but Freedom's Nicole Kwasny tied the match on a free kick. The first 20 minutes of the second half saw the sides remain tied, but Wildcats' senior Samantha Denison put SI back in front with her first career goal.
Sophomore Kat Avila extended the lead to 3-1 with a couple minutes remaining, and Lotti capped the late flurry to account for the final score.
St. Ignatius faces Miramonte on Friday afternoon, and Pinole Valley on Saturday. Freedom faces Pinole Valley on Friday afternoon, with another doubleheader on Saturday against Ponderosa-Shingle Springs and St. Francis-Sacramento.
