Diamond Bar, CA—With an upsetting 2-1 CIF semifinal loss on Saturday, Feb. 17 to Diamond Ranch, the Yellowjacket girls soccer team’s season is over.
It was an amazing ride.
The Yellowjackets made it to the final four for the first time in school history since CIF recognized girls soccer in 1981.
This season also saw Colton win its first San Andreas league championship since the 2007-2008 season.
None of that mattered as the team took the field at Diamond Ranch High, excited and ready to face the Panthers, who were ranked number one overall in division six. All the pressure was on Diamond Ranch.
The match began slowly as the two teams felt each other out. Things picked up when team captain Melanie Bravo put the ball in the net at the 26-minute mark of the first half.
The goal fired up the Panthers, who became more aggressive. They crashed every loose ball and dominated possession. This put them in position to score on a free kick at 14:52 in the half, tying the game 1-1.
Five minutes later, a Colton mistake on defense proved more costly, as Diamond Ranch scored their second goal of the match at 8:53. It would prove to be the game winning goal for the Panthers.
In the second half, Colton came back more focused and full of fight, but were met by the toughest team they had faced all season. The Yellowjackets took a lot of shots on the Panthers keeper, but struggled to get the goals past her.
With the loss the girls soccer team is proud of how far they came. They end with an overall record of 17-9-1, league champions, and divisional semifinalists. After finishing the 2022-23 season 7-10-3, this group of Yellowjackets have come a long way in a short time. And with a solid core of underclassmen returning next season, the future also looks bright.
