A focused Apple Valley squad is ready to take on Oak Park for the CIF-SS soccer Div. 3 title
Focused was the keyword on Wednesday afternoon during practice for the Apple Valley girls soccer team.
Just two days before the biggest game in program history, that’s been the vibe at practices as the girls have their eyes on the prize — the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 title.
“Everybody’s hyped, everybody’s getting locked in. We’re just getting ready for the big game, I feel like everybody’s getting focused on this,” team captain Samantha Most said.
The Sun Devils are playing in the program’s first-ever CIF-SS championship game on Friday against Oak Park with the Division 3 crown at stake.
The girls squad is the fourth Apple Valley sports team to play for a CIF-SS title since the 2021 school year as the girls tennis, football and baseball teams have all made championship-game runs.
A win on Friday would add to what has already been a record-setting season for Apple Valley.
The team had never beaten Oak Hills twice in one season before this year and had never gotten past the second round in the playoffs.
Freshman forward Jadyn Bechtel has played a big part in the dominance that Apple Valley has shown this season.
She leads the Mojave River League in goals this season with 34 and is ready to cap her first year with a CIF-SS title.
“Pretty determined to win this. In class, just constantly thinking about it,” Bechtel said.
The playoff run for the Sun Devils has been a breeze for the most part as their first three wins against Canyon, Saint Joseph, and Don Lugo were won by a point differential of 14-3.
But the semifinal game against Warren was too close for comfort. A 3-1 lead at halftime for Apple Valley was erased when Warren scored a last-second corner goal to tie the game up.
The game went to penalties and the Sun Devils were able to come out of it on top.
It has been one of the few times this season where the team has had to come back from having their backs against the wall.
“We had to face some adversity against Warren and I think we’re ready for any challenge that comes on Friday,” head coach Nicole Stephens said.
One look at Oak Park’s record seems deceptive.
The Eagles have lost three more games this season than Apple Valley. They have given up five more goals in two fewer games than Apple Valley. They’ve also scored less than half of Apple Valley’s total goals this season.
But Oak Park is matched up with Moorpark and Camarillo, which are Division 1 and 2 programs, respectively.
Apple Valley’s biggest competition comes from Oak Hills, which also plays in Division 3.
In the team’s film study that occurred on Tuesday, Stephens saw similarities between her team and Oak Park.
“They have speed on their offense and play possession well. I think that it's things that are similar to our strengths,” Stephens said.
The championship game, hosted by Oak Park, will be played Friday night at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley is focused on capturing the CIF-SS Div. 3 soccer title
