Cardinal Mooney girls soccer gets its revenge on Bishop Verot

There's something joyous about a district championship that's difficult to pinpoint.

I mean, of course, winning the trophy feels great. Winning anything feels great. But for as much attention as state titles get, I like watching teams celebrate district titles almost as much. 

Tuesday night, the Cardinal Mooney girls soccer team helped me pinpoint why. 

The Cougars (12-4-1) defeated Bishop Verot High 3-0 at home to take the Class 3A, District 8 title. It was a closer game than the score indicates, but that won't matter to anyone participating. What was a tight game for most of its run time will either be remembered as a dominating victory or a crushing defeat. Just like the Cougars remember last year's championship game, another 3-0 game against Bishop Verot — except back then, the Cougars were on the losing side. 

Cougars junior goalkeeper Allessia Ukmar said this season has been a "revenge season." They certainly played motivated. There was strong communication from the Cougars all night, and they took advantage of the opportunities they were given. Sophomore Zoe Halfpenny and senior Malia Tomasso both scored on headers in the box, and senior Lauren Golon added a more traditional goal midway through the second half. Ukmar, who had never played soccer before last season, made 10 saves, including a sensational stop on a Bishop Verot penalty kick to keep a clean sheet. The save brought out the Cougars' reserve energy; I thought Bishop Verot might get a desperation goal, as they had been getting a handful of good chances, but in the game's final minutes, they didn't come particularly close. 

Cougars Coach Graham Warne said he's most proud of the fact that only four players on the team also play club soccer. In other words, Mooney has a lot of homegrown talent. On many other teams, upwards of 90% of a team's roster can play club ball — and there's nothing wrong with that. But it is impressive to see a team filled with players less perpetually consumed with the sport come together and pull off a victory like this.

"They just play good soccer," Warne said with a shrug. "They all work together. When you see them, you would think they all play club. They get along so well. They made it a team." 

And they saved their best for their biggest rival. That's what I like about district championships: They are petty. They are about beating the teams you love to hate. They dish out bragging rights to the victors. Only one team per class can win a state title and be known as the best for a whole offseason, but with districts, a bunch of teams can be the best around, if only for a night. 

I don't know how many pages are left in the story of this Cardinal Mooney team. Maybe they reach the Final Four and win it all. Maybe the get bounced next Tuesday when they face Berkeley Prep (11-8-1) at 7 p.m. at home in the regional quarterfinals. But whatever happens, the Cougars will always have beaten their rivals 3-0 and lifted a trophy above their heads for their effort, and that's a beautiful thing.