Ripon Christian’s boys soccer team has come a long way since defensive midfielder Aaron Van Hofwegen, forward Jack Dooley and center backs Daniel Lambdin and Lushen Sanders joined as freshmen.
The Knights finished 4-16 that year.
Now, they’re one win away from a Sac-Joaquin Section championship game for a second straight year.
The fourth-seeded squad punched another ticket to the semifinals Tuesday after dispatching No. 5 Bradshaw Christian 3-1, scoring all of its goals in the second half.
“It has changed a lot,” Van Hofwegen said. “Freshman and sophomore years, we started off terribly but got some experience from it. We’ve since gotten some new players and just really upped the intensity. We started trusting each other and got a lot better as a team.”
The senior captain scored the go-ahead goal in the 61st minute, getting the right deflection on a volleyed shot off a corner kick from Collin Lecain.
Both players were involved in the insurance goal seven minutes later.
Bradshaw Christian (8-11-1) committed numbers forward for a free kick, and the Knights (10-8-2) took advantage of the open space as they countered after winning the ball on their defensive third.
It was Van Hofwegen who carried it deep into the Pride’s back line on a solo run, and he centered it to Reagan Sauer. Sauer’s initial shot deflected off a defender, but Lecain — Ripon Christian’s nimble sophomore forward and leading scorer — was there to collect it inside the box to set up for an open look.
It was a fitting outcome considering the Knights’ advantages in possession and shots (26-8), but despite their dominance in the run of play, they were the ones trailing at halftime.
Bradshaw capitalized on its only opportunity in the first half. It came on a counterattack up the middle from Jackson Haviland, who pushed it wide left to Joey DeMarco.
The Ripon Christian goal was exposed with keeper Wesley Vander Woude (three saves) running off his line to meet DeMarco, who created some space with a quick dribble toward the end line. He took the shot despite the awkward angle but got a fortunate bounce off Lambdin, who was guarding the near post. The ball caromed off his legs and spun into the goal.
The Knights went into halftime trailing 1-0 despite a 16-1 disparity on shot attempts and 7-0 on corner kicks.
“We had done nothing wrong,” RC coach Danny Koolhaas said. “They had the one opportunity and got the fluke goal, because the ball is wet and the field is a mess. I told Danny when it happened that it’s over with, and Danny played extremely well after that.
“Having those seniors matters, at the end of the day. With Lucian, Danny and Aaron back there always gives me comfort. Wes is a two-year starter at goal, so we’ve got experience everywhere, and yet we’re still young.”
Another underclassman came through for the tying goal.
In the 47th minute, sophomore Talen Tameling knocked it in after receiving a long throw-in from Noah DeBruyn.
Bradshaw was able to create some opportunities on breakaways since then, but it was the Knights who took over as the game opened up.
With Lecain spearheading the attack for much of the season, Ripon Christian has gotten secondary contributions by committee since forward Colton Veldstra — yet another sophomore — suffered a broken leg in early December. He recently underwent a fifth surgery but has still found a way to support the team.
“We had a really good devotional before the game started,” Koolhaas said. “He gave us a really good idea for a devotion today, and I thought the kids responded really well to it.
Winners of four of their last five, the Knights travel to top-seeded Woodland Christian (16-2-1) on Thursday. The Cardinals edged Sierra Delta League rival Esparto in their quarterfinal, 1-0.
