SAN FRANCISCO - On December 6, St. Ignatius held its annual Media Day and with the winter sports season now in full swing, we decided to take a look at the fortunes of the St. Ignatius sports teams.
Girls Soccer
Following a shortened 2021 spring season that lasted less than a month, the Wildcats girls soccer team is aiming high in the what is arguably California’s most competitive league - the West Catholic Athletic League.
“Our main goal this year is to win the WCAL title,” said captain Claire Tunney. “We’ve got a really great team that's showing a lot of potential and I think the league title is definitely within our reach.”
St. Ignatius looked on track to winning the WCAL last year, but their campaign was cut short last season by a heartbreaking 2-0 to Archbishop Mitty. The Wildcats will have an opportunity for redemption on January 12 at their home field, and will try to make the best of their opportunity.
“We want revenge,” said Tunney. “We definitely could have beaten Mitty last year, but we didn’t. Now we get the chance to avenge ourselves and make a statement to the league, and we will take it.”
St. Ignatius kicked the season off on November 23, with an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Tamalpais. The Wildcats were determined to bounce back, and bounce back they did with a 6-0 demolition of Gunn.
“That game was perfect,” said Tunney. “We really showed what we could do. The attackers were firing, the defense got the shutout, all around great team performance, especially after a tough first result.”
The Wildcats have continued their strong start with shutout wins over Palo Alto (3-0) and Hillsdale (1-0) to improve to 3-0-1. SI completes play in the Firebird Classic Saturday against WCAL rival Saint Francis.
Boys Soccer
After just picking up one win last season, the SI boys soccer squad is looking for improvement.
“Last year was a hard year for everyone,” said co-captain Ryan Stienberg. “It was a disappointing result and we didn’t play like we should have. We have to do better this year, now we have fans back as well. It’ll make a big impact and I look forward to sharing our success with them.”
The Wildcats will be ecstatic to have fans back cheering in the stands of J.B. Murphy field, especially for rivalry clashes against cross-town rivals Sacred Heart Cathedral (February 2) and Archbishop Riordan (February 12).
“Win.” said co-captain Junior Cifuentes, “We’re here to win. Every game. That’s our mindset. We especially have to win those rivalry games, and we believe we can. We can go far this year.”
Rivalry games will set SI up to achieve their main goal, the elusive WCAL title.
“We’re in the hardest league in the greater Bay Area,” said SI coach Alan Downey. “Winning the league is no easy feat, but I think we definitely have a chance. We have a really talented squad and the WCAL title is definitely within our reach.”
The Wildcats opened the season with wins over Marin Academy (3-1) and Napa (1-0) before dropping a 1-0 decision at Carlmont December 8. However, the 'Cats rebounded for an impressive 1-0 win over East Bay power De La Salle last Saturday.
SI will conclude non-league action this weekend at the University Invite where the Wildcats will take on host University and Cardinal Newman this Friday and Saturday, respectively. League play begins January 4 at home against Bellarmine.
Boys Basketball
After a heart-wrenching 66-65 loss to Archbishop Riordan in the CCS Open Division playoffs last season, the SI boys basketball team is back with renewed determination. Led by senior Sean Quanico, they have started 6-0, including a championship in the Peterich Tip Off Classic.
“Last year still hurts,” said Quanico. “The game could have easily gone in our favor, but it didn’t. It’s time to move on. We got a fresh start, a new season. I don’t think we played well this past tournament, but we showed we can get the job done. We have really good depth, and it showed.”
The Wildcats will try their best to extend their form into the new year, with the all-important Bruce Mahoney taking place on January 4 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. SI have won four of the last five contests, including a nail biting 64-57 win last season in which the ‘Cats restricted Sacred Heart Cathedral to just 12 points in the final quarter.
“The Bruce is obviously a big goal for us, as it always will be,” said co-captain Ryan Conroy. “It has such an amazing history behind it, and the whole school comes to support and it’s just an overall amazing vibe. But we’re not done with just that. I think we really have a chance at the WCAL title this year, and have a good state run in us as well.”
After losing the tight game to Riordan in the Central Coast Section Open semifinals last year, coach Jason Greenfield made sure SI put a special emphasis on closing games.
“We’ve gotten mentally tougher from last season,” said Gian Carlo Toledo Rivera. “We won’t make the same mistake twice. We got a lot tougher, practiced keeping our calm, staying alert and playing smart. If we’re in a similar situation this year, it’ll have a different ending.”
Following their tournament title - which featured wins over Galena, Branson and Monte Vista - the Wildcats improved to 6-0 with non-league victories over Marin Catholic and University. Next up is a home game Saturday night against Miramonte.
Girls Basketball
The Wildcat girls basketball team received some big news earlier this year. After years of effort, they would be included in the historic Bruce Mahoney rivalry with Sacred Heart Cathedral.
“It means everything,” said second-year head coach Maya Fok. “As a four-year varsity starter here at SI, I know that game is everything. I know how badly we always wanted to be in that game. We finally get our chance, and we’re going to do everything we can, as a team, to keep that trophy at SI.”
The ‘Cats started their campaign strong, winning the Marin Catholic LadyCat Classic in a nail biter against the hosts. After trailing at the half, the 'Cats fought back to close off a dominant second half with a 54-40 victory.
“It wasn’t our best performance,” said senior wing Sabrina Ma. “We had a bump in the road. But after half time we really zoned in, especially on defense, and that’s what helped us come back and get the win.”
The SJSU commit led the team with 22 points, as well as adding 10 rebounds. She will have to be the leader of this team if they are to go far. Expectations are high for the squad, as they came into the season ranked 26th in the state by Cal-Hi sports.
“The goal is to win the WCAL, and go deep in state,” said center Soon-Ja Elzey. “We’ve got a lot of returning seniors, and we are set up to make a deep run this year. Especially in many of our last seasons, it would be special if we could win some trophies.”
Standing in SI’s way is Archbishop Mitty, who defeated the Wildcats soundly on all three occasions last year. But roaring with energy and talent, the ‘Cats looked poised for a big season. Following the tournament championship, SI defeated CCS power Pinewood, 59-54, to improve to 5-0.
Next up is a trip to Arizona for the Phoenix Tournament Dec. 18-22.
