DANVILLE — Typically a miscommunication is the last thing you want in a playoff game, but for San Ramon Valley it was what led it advance to the next round.
Late in the first half, the Wolves were awarded a corner kick. When Riley Arbogast set up to send the ball, head coach Mark Jones called one play.
The girls on the pitch heard something else.
But it didn’t matter, as Arbogast’s kick was sent to the back door, where Kylie Kerr headed the lone goal of the game in the 1-0 victory.
“My job on set pieces is to get something on it. The ball was perfect and I just knocked it in,” said Kerr. “We saw that she wasn’t going for the right play so we kind of just went for it. It felt awesome.”
SRV has plenty of shots on goal prior to that, but Freedom goalkeeper and Fresno State commit Briana O’Dell recorded six saves by the midway mark of the first half. She continued to do so throughout the entire night, finishing up with 14 total saves.
“We count on her a lot. She’s another defender. She comes up big, makes big saves to keep us in the game,” said Freedom head coach Matt Oliveri.
Jones also praised O’Dell for her performance.
“She had an amazing night. We hit some balls right at her, and it was a great game for her,” said Jones.
Freedom continued with its struggle in big games, and with offensive opportunities. The Falcons only had one shot on goal.
“We just weren’t productive in getting the ball forward,” Oliveri said. “My girls did great. The program is heading in the right direction.”
Now, SRV will take on EBAL opponent California this Saturday in the second round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies ousted Heritage, 1-0, on the strength of a goal from senior standout Nikki Trucco in the 38th minute.
