'I’m not sad. I’m so proud': Apple Valley's historic season concludes in heartbreaker

The morning of the biggest game ever for the Apple Valley girls soccer program, the team went to breakfast and talked.

Win or lose in the title game of CIF State Southern California Regional Division 3 playoffs against Granada Hills Charter, this would be the team’s final game of a historic season.

The conversation at Denny’s was to simply enjoy the last 80 minutes that the team would play with each other.

“Even when you feel like you’re getting tired, know this is the end. Push until you can’t push anymore,”  Apple Valley head coach Nicole Stephens said after the Sun Devils lost 5-3 in a penalty kicks shootout.

It has been a long run for the Sun Devils up until this point and the miles and minutes the team has endured just in the past eight days have added up. In that span, Apple Valley has played four road games, traveling a total of 800 miles roundtrip.

In that time they won the program’s first-ever CIF-Southern Section title with a 2-1 victory over Oak Park.

Then came a matchup against Quartz Hill, the CIF-SS Division 2 champion, and without their leading scorer Jadyn Bechtel. The Sun Devils won 1-0.

A rematch with Oak Park followed in the semifinals. The Sun Devils emerged victorious in penalty kicks in the program’s first-ever CIF State playoff appearance.

More: Bonneau last-minute goal leads Apple Valley in the CIF regional playoffs

“I think that there was an obvious atmosphere when we started playoffs about wanting to play for each other, wanting to play for our school, wanting to do something big and make our mark in the legacy for the rest of the players that come through the program and I think we did just that,” Stephens said.

Outcome reversed for Apple Valley

The past two weeks worth of games for Apple Valley have been anything but ordinary.

Starting with the CIF-SS semifinals against Warren and ending with Saturday night against Granada Hills Charter, every game has featured either a last-minute goal to tie the game, a last-minute-goal to take the lead, or even penalty kicks shootouts.

All four games leading up to Saturday’s night’s final saw Apple Valley on the winning end of all those close games. They beat Warren in penalty kicks, beat Oak Park and Quartz Hills on last-minute goals, and beat Oak Park for the second time in penalty kicks after tying the game on a last-minute goal.

The end of regulation against Granada Hills Charter ended with a 1-1 tie between both teams. The 15-minute overtime period came and went with no goal. Once again, the fate of the Sun Devils’ season would come down to penalty kicks.

After Granada Hills Charter scored its first penalty kick, Apple Valley captain Samantha Most stepped up to the line. Most, who made her penalty kicks against Warren and Oak Park, skied her kick over the goal. Stephens was the first one to greet her when she came back to the line, embracing her.

“She breaks my heart,” Stephens said with tears in her eyes. “She carries a lot of the team on her shoulders and so just reminding her that we’ve had a whole season go right because of her and a lot had to fall into place to be here today and that she’s been a huge part of this team since she was a freshman. She’s done so much for this program, I really couldn’t be more proud of her as a player and as a person.”

Apple Valley would make the rest of their penalty kicks but so would Granada Hills Charter. The Highlanders scored their fifth and final penalty kick to secure the championship.

“Honestly it might sound bad but I’m not sad. I’m so proud of this team,” Apple Valley senior Kaydence Bonneau said.

Questionable penalty call subdues Apple Valley

At the start of the first half, Apple Valley led 1-0 on a free-kick goal from freshman Bailey Richer.

Granada Hills Charter kept up the pace that they showed in the first half.

They were hunting for a goal and got the perfect opportunity to do so about midway through the second half.

Apple Valley was called for a foul in the penalty box on a corner from Granada Hills Charter. Apple Valley defender Payton McClain appeared to have held a player from the opposite team from getting a loose ball, which is when the referee blew the whistle for the penalty.

The Apple Valley sideline could not believe it and neither could the players on the field.

“Honestly, they got a pretty cheap goal in the game, wasn’t given correctly in my opinion. In my heart I know we won that game,” Bonneau said.

Granada Hills Charter’s Ana De Los Santos converted from the spot to tie the game at one.

The script was there for Apple Valley to do what they had done multiple times in the past eight days and score a last-minute goal to take the lead and win the game.

Bechtel had a few chances in the final 10 minutes of the game but was saved by Granada Hills Charter’s goalkeeper.

They said it

Stephens on what this team means to her: “This group of girls has really inspired me to become a better coach every single day. I’m still so proud of their resilience and their heart.”

Bonneau on what she will remember from this team as she moves on to Upper Iowa University after she graduates this year: “I know I’ll look back at this team and I’ll channel a lot of motivation. Do it for your team, do it for your heart, do it for your coaches, do it for the support system that’s on the sidelines, do it for the support system that’s at practice, do it for the support system that’s at our strength and conditioning area. I know I’ll just take all the heart that I’ve gotten from this school and channel that into my endeavors going forward.”

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley's historic postseason run ends in the CIF regional finals