JESUS CANO
Prep2Prep Adult Contributor

February 24, 2019

CONCORD — In 2017 when Berkeley won the North Coast Section Division I championship, then-freshman Kalani Kossa-Rienzi celebrated in the bleachers.

In the closing minutes of Saturday night’s game, the now junior Kossa-Rienzi was greeted with a standing ovation as he came off the field.

His two-goal performance helped Berkeley claim its second NCS title in three years by defeating De La Salle 4-1 - a rematch from the 2017 DI final - and it also earned him getting a roaring MVP chant from the Berkeley crowd.

“It feels amazing. At the beginning we said this was our year, this year we’re going to make history,” said Kossa-Rienzi. “It’s amazing to win in front of this many people. I love the fans. They came all the way from Berkeley to support. I wanna put a show for them when I can.”

Unlike in 2017 when Berkeley beat De La Salle in penalty kicks, this time the Yellowjackets took care of business in regulation, although it took a while.

After a solid defensive battle between the two teams who went scoreless into the half — after Berkeley goalkeeper Aidan Mack had four saves in the first half — there was huge mindset change for Berkeley.

They went from zero to 100, real quick.

“We’ve been better than everyone,” head coach Andre Hebert said. “They were just playing direct, as long we kept it on the ground we switched it, we were fine. Right when they high press, we catch them on the break.”

The results showed in the second half. Jacob Greenberg Bell scored just five minutes in. Moments later, Berkeley used its moment to get another goal on the board. Kossa-Rienzi showed off his finishing to score his and demonstrated his athleticism by hitting a backflip for a celebration. The Yellowjackets had a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the final stanza.

Sebastian Maza scored on a one time shot to put De La Salle within one, with 25 minutes left in the game, but that was short lived.

Kossa-Rienzi sent a pass to Gabriel Serra, where Serra nailed it home to make it 3-1.

Greenberg Bell and Kossa-Rienzi scored a textbook goal out of what Hebert emphasized. Greenberg switched the ball to Kossa-Rienzi, where he dribbled it up the field and found the back of the net to put the nail in the coffin against De La Salle.

In the grandest stage, Berkeley still can’t lose. The Yellowjackets remain unbeaten at 23-0-4, and still has the CIF NorCal regional tournament -- as does De La Salle -- to go through. The seedings for the CIF brackets will be announced on Sunday, with both teams expected to be among the Division I participants, in the competitive equity structure.

Fourth time is the charm for Carondelet

Carondelet has had its fingertips on the North Coast Section Division I championship for the past three seasons. But in its fourth straight appearance, history did not repeat itself.

After a 2-0 victory over East Bay Athletic League rival San Ramon Valley, Carondelet had a full grip on the championship banner.

“I’m just so proud of them. I’m glad they can celebrate this and have a great day. It’s a lot of hard work, three years for some of them,” said Carondelet head coach Amy Apodaca.

One of those players that took a third year to win the championship was junior Ellie Ospeck. After a scoreless first half, she received a well-placed cross by left back Dani Wozniak, and Ospeck finished the ball to give the Cougars the 1-0 lead in the second half.

“She always plays amazing balls. I knew where the ball was going and I just at the perfect spot,” said Ospeck. “It felt amazing. I felt like it turned the mentality of the game and from there we were on full attack.”

It wasn’t the end. A two-goal second half paved Carondelet’s path to the gold.

“We had to make a decision. It was either we don’t lose or we play to win. We made some changes to play to win. Being willing to take chances, and see what happens,” said Apodaca.

Ospeck added an assist to her name. After dribbling the ball up, she sent a through ball to sophomore Jordyn Young, where there was nothing but daylight. Young won the one-on-one encounter with the SRV goalkeeper, finishing the play by rifling the ball for a goal.

“I knew I was open and knew I could beat the player. Once I got out of my feet I looked up and hit it in the back of the net. We could sat back a little bit and catched our breath instead of being our toes all the time,” said Young. “We get to send our seniors off with something the worked on for four years. We enjoyed the moment with them.”

Carondelet goalkeeper Angie Anderson held it down, recording six saves in the game. In four playoff games, no team found the back of the net against Anderson and the Cougars. Now they will turn their attention to the CIF NorCal playoffs, which will be announced on Sunday. Carondelet is a sure bet for the Division I bracket, while San Ramon Valley will wait to see if they end up in Division I or Division II, in the competitive equity seeding structure.