Vaqueros will battle Diablo Valley in State Championship debut

SBCC is going to the CCCAA State Championships for the first time in women's soccer and coach John Sisterson says there's no pressure on his surprising squad.

The Vaqueros (16-6-1) finished third in the WSC North and were seeded 14th for the Southern Cal Regional. They proceeded to reel off four straight playoff wins, taking out the No. 3, 6 and 2 seeds in their last three games.

    Feature story on the Vaqueros on KEYT 3

"We're very happy to be in the Final 4 and we don't feel we're under any pressure," said Sisterson, the 12th-year head coach who notched his 150th win in a 4-0 Regional-opening win over Citrus. "We're the underdogs and we're going to enjoy every moment, give 100% and try to spring another upset."

    State Championship Bracket

The Vaqueros are the No. 2 seed from the South and will take on Diablo Valley (No. 1 North, 17-1-6) on Friday at Ventura College in a 7 p.m. semifinal. Four-time defending champion Cerritos (No. 1 South, 21-1-1) will take on Folsom Lake (North No. 2, 17-3-4) at 1 p.m. The championship game is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Ventura College Sportsplex.

You can follow the action on Live Stream Video and Live Stats.

Ten days ago, the Vaqueros downed No. 6 Ventura 3-1 on the same turf football field at Ventura. Last Saturday, they blanked No. 2 Santiago Canyon 1-0 on the road on a Katherine Sheehy goal in the 13th minute.

The Vaqueros have won their last six games by a combined 14-2, including four by shutout. They've beaten four conference champions in the last two weeks. The Vikings are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games with seven shutouts. Diablo Valley, the co-champ of the Big 8 Conference with Folsom Lake, has outscored its opponents 59-11 on the season.

"We're peaking at the right time and I believe it's in our hands," said Sisterson. "We can beat anyone on a given day. We're a 14 seed and there's not many people who thought we could beat the No. 3, 6 and 2 seeds and make it to the Final 4.

"Our coaching staff has the utmost confidence in the girls and they have the talent individually and as a team to give us 110%. They play with flair, defend well and, most of all, work hard and never give up."

The Vaqueros are led by sophomore forward Josefine Von Der Burg with 39 points on 18 goals and three assists. Chloe Montano has 32 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and Sheehy has 10 goals and nine assists. Goalie Alex Camarillo is 15-5-1 with nine shutouts and a 0.86 goals-against average. She's only allowed one goal in four playoff wins and the Vaqueros have scored nine.

Diablo Valley will counter with Noelle Lemos, who's scored nine goals in the last five games. She started the year as an assistant coach, then joined the team when she found out she still had eligibility. Lemos leads the Vikings with 19 goals and 39 points. Vanessa Ruvalcaba has 26 points (10 goals, six assists) for DVC, which beat Solano 6-1, Las Positas 4-0 and San Joaquin Delta 1-0 to reach the State Final 4. Goalie Katie McLaughlin is 15-1-5 with 12 shutouts and ranks sixth in the state, allowing 0.48 goals a game.

Ticket prices are $12 for adult general admission and $8 for identified students, faculty, staff, senior citizens (60+) and children 12 and under.