This past Tuesday, September 3, the Butte College Lady Roadrunners soccer team faced off against Sacramento City in what would mark their fourth game of the season.
Out of the three games played so far, the Lady Roadrunners had two losses—one at home to Sierra (4-0) on August 23, and one away against San Joaquin Delta (5-2) on August 30. Additionally, the Lady Roadrunners tied 1-1 against American River on August 27.
With all of this in mind, Tuesday’s match against Sacramento City held great importance for Butte, as a win would be their first of the season.
The game against the Panthers took place at Butte’s soccer fields on the main campus and was refereed by Francisco Avalos (CR), Jesus Rodriguez (AR1), and Viorel Gaina (AR2).
From the start, the Lady Roadrunners came into the game at full speed, applying heavy pressure on the opposition.
The first big chance of the game came early when Butte’s number 7, Kennedy Greenfield, received a dangerous cross and almost opened the scoring.
It didn’t take long for the Roadrunners’ pressure to pay off. Four minutes into the game, Butte’s number 13, Kassidy Conway, scored with a beautiful upper-right corner shot, leaving no chance for Sacramento City’s goalkeeper.
With Kassidy’s powerful strike, Butte took an early 1-0 lead.
As the first five minutes of the game went by, one thing became clear: only one team had shown up to play, and thankfully, that team was Butte.
Sacramento City’s first potentially dangerous offensive action came soon after the goal when, at six minutes, a well-placed through ball was directed toward the Roadrunners’ goal. However, the pass was intercepted by Butte’s number 21, Acire Thomas.
Butte responded right away, as just a minute later, Kennedy Greenfield created a dangerous play but was denied by a critical defensive action from Sacramento City.
At the 10-minute mark of the first half, it was clear that Butte was dominating the game.
The key players up to this point were Kennedy Greenfield, who was always trying to create dangerous offensive movements; Mackenzie Leeds (number 10), who stood out with many successful defensive plays and attacking initiations; and Acire Thomas, whose defensive capabilities helped Butte maintain its solidity at the back.
In addition to these three standout players, it’s impossible to overlook the contributions of Kassidy Conway, whose goal had put Butte in front when it mattered most.
As the game progressed, the next few minutes saw the match slow down, with Butte unable to create as much as they had in the first 10 minutes. However, Sacramento City’s plan to slow the game and even the playing field against the physically superior Roadrunners wouldn’t last long.
At the 18-minute mark, Butte’s next dangerous play came, orchestrated by Mackenzie Leeds, who took on two defenders and delivered a precise cross, but Sacramento City’s defense heroically cleared it.
Beyond multiple offensive actions throughout the first half from the Lady Roadrunners, Butte also showed some flair when, at the 19-minute mark, Kennedy Greenfield megged Sacramento City’s number 16, in a very “joga bonito” moment for the Lady Roadrunners.
By the 30-minute mark, Butte was doing amazingly well. The defense was solid, the midfield was structured, and the offense was creative.
As the first half raced toward its end, the game continued as it had until that point: with Butte attacking and Sacramento City holding on by a thread.
At the 45-minute mark, the Panthers even attempted to create something, but they were denied by Acire Thomas, who beat Sacramento City’s number 7 in a race toward the ball.
The first half ended at 4:50 PM, and the best way to describe what happened in the initial 45 minutes is that it was one-sided, with Butte being the only team able to create anything.
While Butte could have tried exploring more long-distance scoring opportunities, everything positive that happened in the game belonged to them.
Sacramento City, coached by Alexia Poon, lacked creativity and drive. At many moments, it felt as though the team wasn’t present, and it was evident that the Lady Roadrunners were in much better physical shape than their opposition.
The second half began at 5:03 PM, and Butte knew they needed to maintain their intensity to secure more goals.
The 1-0 lead was good, but it was also dangerous—just one goal from Sacramento City could ruin Butte’s hopes of a first win of the season. However, Butte entered the second half determined not to let Sacramento City ruin their party.
Just two minutes into the half, Butte earned a potentially dangerous foul on the left flank.
The foul was taken by Mackenzie Leeds, but sadly, her well-placed corner wasn’t met by any of the Lady Roadrunners.
Soon after, at the 4-minute mark of the second half, Kennedy Greenfield made a phenomenal solo run, taking on four opposition players, and in superstar fashion, concluded the play with a beautiful upper-corner shot that left Sacramento City’s keeper no choice but to retrieve the ball from the back of the net.
With Kennedy’s magical solo run and deadly strike, Butte went up 2-0 with just four minutes played in the second half.
After Butte’s second goal, Sacramento City attempted to wake up. Their response to Butte’s brace came at the 7-minute mark, when the Panthers attempted to create danger with a well-placed through ball, only for it to be intercepted by Mackenzie Leeds.
Sacramento City’s next chance came a minute later when they earned a potentially dangerous foul just outside the box.
The foul was taken at the 9-minute mark, but due to poor execution, it didn’t trouble the Roadrunners.
Sacramento City’s efforts continued, as at the 14-minute mark, their number 7 created a good offensive movement but was shut down by Mackenzie Leeds.
At the 20-minute mark of the second half, it was the first moment in the entire game that the Panthers had looked better over the last five minutes.
However, even with their minimal dominance, no significant chances were created due to Butte’s impressive defensive solidity, particularly through players like Mackenzie Leeds and Acire Thomas.
At the 21-minute mark, Butte’s dominance resurfaced, with a dangerous play being made by Kennedy Greenfield, who beat Sacramento City’s number 3 and took a shot, but it went wide.
At the 23-minute mark, Butte’s number 13, Kassidy Conway, gave a good pass to number 6, Alya Mann, who continued the play by passing to number 7, Kennedy Greenfield, putting Kennedy in a perfect position for a shot. Kennedy placed the shot almost perfectly above the keeper, but unfortunately for the Lady Roadrunners, it hit the crossbar.
Butte’s next dangerous offensive action came at the 29-minute mark when Genevieve Rosas played a well-placed through ball, but fortunately for the Panthers, their keeper managed to get to it before any of the Roadrunners could capitalize.
At the 31-minute mark, Sacramento City made a crucial error—a player passed the ball back to their keeper, who picked it up with her hands, which is not allowed in soccer. This resulted in an indirect free kick for Butte inside the Panthers’ box.
The free kick was taken by Butte’s number 15, Genevieve Rosas, who passed it to number 4, Scarlett Christie, who unleashed a powerful shot that hit the post.
As Sacramento City scrambled to prevent a wider scoreline, Butte kept pushing for their third goal, showing how close they were getting with another shot hitting the woodwork.
Sacramento City’s first clear chance in the game came at the 39-minute mark of the second half when a good through ball led to a 1v1 situation. Butte’s goalkeeper, Nora Ramirez, came out on top, keeping Sacramento City scoreless.
Butte responded immediately with a deadly counterattack, which resulted in number 9, Ashley Wellman, having a super clear chance to seal the game, but her powerful shot went slightly over the crossbar.
By the 40-minute mark, everything was going Butte’s way. The team was so unified that no single player was standing out more than the others.
Butte’s structure and teamwork left no chance for Sacramento City to mount any meaningful attack—it was all Butte’s game, with nothing going Sacramento City’s way.
At the 41-minute mark, Butte nearly got a third goal when Mackenzie Leeds made a precise cross to Kennedy Greenfield, but Sacramento City’s keeper made a great save to keep them in the game.
A minute later, Butte had another chance when Ashley Wellman created an opportunity and put in a solid shot, but like her previous attempt, it went over the bar.
At the 43-minute mark, Sacramento City tried to create danger with a hopeful cross into the box, but Butte’s Nora Ramirez made a brave, diving save to preserve the Lady Roadrunners’ clean sheet.
Butte’s last play of the game came from number 4, Scarlett Christie, who took a powerful shot, but it went wide of the mark.
The game ended soon after Scarlett’s attempt, with the final whistle blowing at 5:51 PM.
With this Butte secured a convincing 2-0 victory in their third home game of the season.
The Lady Roadrunners were outstanding both as a team and on an individual level. Players like Mackenzie Leeds and Kennedy Greenfield were total superstars on the field, but beyond them, the Lady Roadrunners were phenomenal as a whole.
In the post-game moments, Roadrunner reporter Ashely Peterson had the opportunity to interview key players from the winners’ camp. These post-match interviews provided insights not only into the match but also into how this win might impact the rest of the season.
The first player interviewed by Peterson was the MVP of the day, number 7, Kennedy Greenfield.
When asked about the match, Kennedy said:
“We started off slow. It felt like we were playing down to their level. However, we regrouped at halftime, brought up our energy, and with that, we were able to get another goal.”
Building on her teammate’s thoughts, the interviewee, Butte’s number 2, Essence Flores, commented on what it felt like to get their first win of the season:
“It feels very good. We’ve been working hard, and we played some really hard teams in the beginning. It took a little bit to get used to playing together since most of us are new, but it definitely feels great to win because we’ve been working really hard.”
The final post-game interview was with Butte’s number 6, Ayla Mann, who talked about her expectations for the season moving forward from this victory:
“We expect to play a lot more simple, you know—to move as a unit, to keep our chemistry going, and to score a lot of goals.”
With that, the Lady Roadrunners will now rest and regroup as they prepare for their next game against Folsom Lake on Friday, September 6.
Their next home game will be on September 13, so be sure to come out and support. The game will take place at 4:00 PM at Butte College’s soccer fields, located on the main campus.
