League crown hopes cloudy

Sara Hall stood alone in the rain, gloved hands on hips, yelling out words of encouragement and direction to her besieged teammates.

They needed every single syllable.

A match dripping with league title implications had already begun transforming into what would become an 80-minute, 6-0, learning lesson for the Faith Christian Girls soccer team Tuesday.

And one of the most telling signs was an idle Hall, a standout forward relegated to shouts of positive reinforcement at midfield as the Lions continually struggled to get the ball out of their zone against a suffocating Bradshaw Christian attack.

"We really didn't get the ball much," Hall said.

Seventeen Pride shots on goal to the Lions' two pretty much sums up how this afternoon went for Faith (8-4-2, 3-1), a team that entered the game tied for first in the Sacramento Valley Metropolitan Athletic League standings with Bradshaw (11-5, 4-0).

The main reason for the SMAL success — Hall. She's been a force all season, blasting 28 goals in 13 games heading into Tuesday's match.

That's good for 75 percent of the Lions' scoring. So when she is essentially cut off, it doesn't bode well for Faith. All game, the Pride's fluid passing and penchant for intercepting the Lions' defenders clearing attempts spelled trouble for Hall. Early in the first half she made a nice run at the goal but the shot was saved. After that moment, she was rendered dormant by the Pride, a team that knows its way around stopping good players.

They did so en route to winning the 2009 Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI title and finishing as the runner-up in 2008.

"It shows doesn't it?" Ripley said, who wanted to see more bravado from his team. "They were playing scared."

Faith saved face against Bradshaw last year, losing by a goal in both league match-ups. This go-around was obviously different. And Lions coach Robert Ripley acknowledges that the execution of the Pride — which helped junior Emily Petree notch a hat trick — gave the Lions problems.

"They did a really good job," he said. "They're a good passing team and they communicate really well too."

The Lions have one more shot at Bradshaw on the road in Sacramento on May 6. But getting past Bradshaw isn't imperative to the Lions postseason chances. To notch second place in the SMAL and earn a playoff berth — something the Lions missed by a half game last season — they simply have to beat teams they already have this season.

That has these players feeling confident, even after a rough day on a wet pitch.

"Our second toughest team is Sacramento Country Day and we already beat them 2-0," Hall said.