SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - After 100 total minutes of regular and overtime play, the No. 2-seed Bradshaw Christian Pride fell to the No. 1 seed Millennium High School of Tracy Falcons in the Division VI 2025 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championship game in a penalty shootout at Cosumnes River College. 

The Pride and Falcons could not put it in the back of the net leading to a 0-0 draw, which led to the Falcons goalkeeper being the hero in the shootout saving three penalties for the championship win. 

“It’s heartbreaking and I’m just so proud of these guys,” Pride head coach Andreas Batiansila said. “I’ve worked with these guys, some of them, since the sixth grade and to be here in this moment to come down this. These guys work so hard so it’s more pride than disappointment.” 

Despite practicing penalty kicks leading up to this match, the Pride were able to only score two of their five from the penalty spot. 

“I felt almost responsible because I have to pick the top five, so I had picked five but those guys, we practice that every single practice so it’s intense moments, it’s hard,” Batiansila said. “I don’t know what it’s like in this moment, only these guys do so I put them in the position to win and they gave it their all.” 

The most dangerous chances for the Falcons came early in the match when shot bounced off the crossbar and hit the Pride’s goalkeeper in the back on his diving attempt and ended up in the back of the net.

The Falcons’ players celebrated before the referee called a goal kick as it hit the football goal post and not the actual crossbar of the goal. 

The Falcons had most of the possession early on, but this disallowed goal was a sort of waking call as the Pride began to gain possession and both squads would go back and forth before going all 80 minutes of regular time and two two-minute halves of overtime. 

“I didn’t think it would go all the way to (penalty kicks),” Batiansila said. “It was the one and the two, we were the best two guys, right? We were facing them, and they outplayed us really in parts of it, but we were even and up until a few inches in the end. A few inches make the difference.”

Despite the loss, the program has turned around for the better under Batiansila and this core of players compared to four seasons ago. The Pride went from 0-10 in league play to now competing for a section title. 

“We have a firm foundation on Christ and that’s where we built it, and character is the number one thing here,” Batiansila said. “We build off that, we’re all encouraging each other, all supporting each other and that’s the key. The rest of the stuff, the tactics, that comes second because I’m building young men.”

The Pride’s season ends with an overall record of 14-8-1 and as the runners-up in the section.