Central Valley’s girls soccer team fell short of its goals this season.
The Hawks struggled to a 6-10-5 overall record and placed fifth in the Central California Conference standings. (1-7-4).
The top three teams in the CCC qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
“It wasn’t what we were expecting,” head coach Miguel Larranaga said. “I thought we’d do better. It’s disappointing we didn’t make playoffs. We tried. Sometimes, things don’t work out.”
Central Valley closed out the season with a 9-0 loss at Patterson on Dec. 4.
“We could have played better,” said Larranaga, whose team tied the Tigers 1-1 earlier this season. “It wasn’t our day. Nobody could stop her (Patterson’s Arianna Imhoff).”
Imhoff scored five goals and dished out two assists against the Hawks.
Central Valley had to settle for a 1-1 draw while battling Merced on Senior Night on Dec. 2 in Ceres.
The Bears scored the game-tying goal off a cornerkick with less than 10 minutes to play.
Sophomore Daniela Rodriguez accounted for the Hawks’ lone goal.
“We should have won,” Larranaga said. “We played a really good game.”
Hawk upperclassmen Natalie Ibarra, Malina Keomuangchanh., Ally Singh, Maddie Mendoza, Abigail Hernandez and Marina Murillo competed at home for the final time.
“It’s always sad when you lose players,” Larranaga said. “They enjoyed playing for the program and school. They had ups and downs. They made a lot of memories and new friends.”