With the pressure mounting to make the playoffs, DVC kept its cool and finished the year strong, winning two of its last three games, including a 1-0 victory Nov. 13 over American River, to almost assuredly secure a playoff berth.
“I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t be in,” said Coach Cailin Mullins, “It’s just a matter of where in the top 16.”
The Vikings entered the Nov. 13 game needing a victory since they were sitting at vulnerable No.15 in Northern California and only the top 16 teams qualify for playoffs.
Adding to the pressure was the fact that American River came in second in the Big 8 Conference and was No. 5 in the Northern California standings.
“Our team did a very good job not showing how nervous we really were, knowing this game could be the end of a season to remember,” said Priscilla Opfermann.
Stellar goalkeeping by Courtney Hart shut out potent American River, which was led by leading scorer Tiffany Martin, who came in with 12 goals on the season.
The lone goal of the game came on the foot of freshman Shannon Cridebring in the 75th minute. After the American River goalie bobbled a save, she was able to put the ball in the corner of the net.
After the goal, DVC had to hold off the American River attacks for another 15 minutes before they secured the win.
“We played really smart those last 15 minutes,” said Mullins, “I was surprised they didn’t push us more those last few minutes of the game.”
With the win, DVC jumped to the 14th spot in the Northern California standings.
The return to the lineup of Kristen Elms and Opfermann gave the Vikings the boost they needed to get some must-needed wins during the last stretch of games.
“Both Kristen and I found ourselves in the training room to get ourselves back into the game,” Opfermann said. “Returning to the lineup was very exciting and knowing both Kristen and I helped contribute to the last couple victories in the Big 8 felt great.”
Elms missed the Vikings last 13 games with a third-degree sprained ankle before returning against Sacramento City College. Opfermann missed the previous six weeks with a broken fibula.
Going without a loss in their last three contests capped a rollercoaster season for the Vikings.
After an impressive 6-1-1 non-conference start, injuries during conference play started to take its toll, as DVC scuffled to a 1-9-1 record before finishing off the season 2-0-1.