Saxelby's 2 goals lift Foresthill into D7 girls soccer semis

Foresthill girls soccer wasted no time getting on the board in Tuesday night's Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII home playoff game. It took just four minutes for the Wildfires to find the back of the net, thanks to freshman striker Amy Saxelby. Third-seeded Foresthill scored again four minutes later with Alexis Kalb perfectly placing a shot off a corner kick as the Wildfires cruised to a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Western Sierra. "I don't think I was ever really concerned about this team not scoring goals," said Foresthill coach Bobby Quattlebaum, who has led the Wildfires to a 14-3 record and Central Valley California League title in his first season. "The defense stepped up with just three in the back. Hopefully, they'll keep gaining that confidence that they have and keep building on that." The win was Foresthill's third over the Wolves this season. The Wildfires advance to the championship game Saturday after Thursday night's 1-0 win at John Adams Academy in Lincoln. The win avenged an earlier loss to the Patriots. The Wildfires will host No. 4 Delta at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Saints (13-4) knocked off top-seeded Cristo Rey 3-2 in penalty kicks (4-2) Thursday night. Foresthill and Delta have split two matches this season. Saxelby scored two goals against Western Sierra and had the lone goal, on an assist by Addy Aldrich, against John Adams Academy, bringing her season total to 22. With years of club experience under her belt, Saxelby is already one of the leaders on this Foresthill squad. "It's definitely a really weird feeling because being a freshman, you don't expect to take on a leadership role that early," Saxelby said. "It's really fulfilling because you feel like you're doing something for the team just being out in the field." Oftentimes, Saxelby was double- and triple-teamed by the Wolves, but that didn't stop her from staying aggressive on the attacking end. "It's been happening throughout the season, so I've kind of learned how to deal with it," Saxelby said about Western Sierra's defensive tactics. "There's pressure when they defend you like that. You just have to figure it out. Find somebody that's open and it'll work out." After braving the initial onslaught, the Wolves only trailed 2-0 at the half and had several chances late in the first half. Kateryna Fleury stretched the Wildfire lead to three in the 50th minute, scoring off a rebound from the crossbar. Saxelby scored her second minutes later to put the game out of reach. Western Sierra's goal came in the 69th minute.