County talent helps Hartnell win women’s state soccer title | Local Roundup

Freshman forward Jasmin Castillo, Pajaro Valley High alumna, scored twice to help the Hartnell College women’s soccer team beat Cypress 3-0 and claim its first CCCAA State Championship at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Sunday.

Belinda Ascencio also scored for the Panthers (22-2-2), the Coast Conference North Division champion and No. 2 seed from NorCal. Ascencio scored on a pass from midfielder Carly Lowi in the 15th minute. Castillo scored in the 26th and 45th+ minutes. Defender Maria Espinoza also recorded an assist.

“It feels so unreal,” Castillo told cccaasports.org. “I don’t know how to describe it because there’s been moments throughout the season where I’ve cost a couple goals and I’ve missed many. Throughout the season, I only had three goals. I got to put three in these past two games. It feels so unreal because the goals come when you let them come to you.”

The Chargers (20-2-2), the Orange Empire Conference champion, were the No. 1 seed from SoCal.

Both teams had 14 shots, with the Chargers holding a 14-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Castillo and freshman midfielder Brianna Guerrero, a Watsonville High alumna, scored in Hartnell’s 2-1 win over Mt. San Antonio, the No. 2 seed from SoCal, on Friday.

Castillo finished with six goals and one assist on the season; Guerrero had two goals and two assists.

Sophomore forward Vanessa Gonzales (Santa Cruz/Cabrillo College) and freshman midfielder Jocelyn Herrera (Pajaro Valley) also played for Hartnell this season.

Men’s soccer

Locals help Hartnell reach state final: Forwards Alan Bedolla and Kevin Rincon, both Pajaro Valley alums, started in Hartnell’s 2-1 loss to host Mt. San Antonio in the CCCAA State Championship in Walnut on Sunday.

Both players were held off the scoresheet in the final.

Bedolla had nine goals and six assists on the season, while Rincon had three goals and three assists. They helped the Panthers (20-2-3) win the Coast Conference North Division and earn the No. 1 seed in the NorCal playoffs.

After earning narrow wins over No. 16 Napa Valley, No. 8 Fresno City and No. 4 De Anza in the NorCal playoffs, the Panthers knocked off El Camino 4-1 on Friday to advance to the state final.

Women’s volleyball

Merchen helps WVC reach state final: Lake Merchen, a former UC Santa Cruz volleyball standout who coached Aptos’ girls team to a state title, serves as an assistant for West Valley, which took second at the CCCAA State Championship on Sunday. The Vikings lost 22-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19 to host Fresno City in the final.

The Vikings (23-5) earned sweeps of Grossmont on Friday and American River on Saturday to reach the final.

Merchen posted a 47-25 record in two seasons at the helm at Aptos. He led the Mariners to the California Interscholastic Federation Division-IV NorCal and state titles in 2019 before stepping down for personal reasons.

Women’s basketball

At UCSC 80, Colorado College 63: Forward Kaylee Murphy had 26 points and 16 rebounds — her fourth double-double in seven games — to lead the Banana Slugs to the win Sunday at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

She also had seven assists, three blocks and three steals.

Murphy, a junior out of Eureka, has 25 double-doubles in her UCSC career.

Junior forward Manda Inserra had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Slugs. Junior guard/forward Ashley Kowack had 14 points, four rebounds and five assists, and junior guard Tess Oakley-Stilson had 12 points, three rebounds and three steals.

UCSC (6-1) hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3-5) at KP Arena on Saturday at 5 p.m. to open its December Classic tournament.

Reporting Scores

Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.