Highlanders host Williams at Witter Field at 5 pm on March 8.
Gianluca Bini and Derin Sabuncuoglu scored goals as Piedmont High School’s boys soccer team defeated visiting Colusa 2-0 on March 6 in the California Interscholastic Federation Division 5 Northern regional semifinals.
The Highlanders advanced to the regional championship game on March 8. They will host Williams at Witter Field at 5 p.m.
This is the furthest Piedmont has advanced in the CIF tournament. It’s a chance at redemption for the players, who fell to Roseland University Prep in the North Coast Section Division 4 final on March 1, 2-0.
“I think it’s just a blessing to get two shots at a final this year,” captain Jacques Saldanha said. “We just came up short in the final in NCS. Second place goes through also. We really brought it this tournament. This is a big deal for us.”
Sophomore Sabuncuoglu scored his first varsity goal for the Highlanders in the 36th minute on a rebound from 20 yards out.
“Early in the game I missed a couple of chances,” Sabuncuoglu said. “It got into my head….When I saw the ball landing, it was to my left. I’m a right-footed player, but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Found it on the volley, got the right contact. Top corner. When I saw it go in, I started smiling.“
The half ended 1-0. In the 48th minute, Bini came down the left side and fired across the goal mouth. The ball hit the far post and ricocheted into the net. Piedmont controlled the game, pushing the ball toward the Nighthawks end of the field consistently.
Piedmont’s Bosco Lorin (50) tries to get away from Colusa’s Rafael Avila (white) during the Highlanders 2-0 win in the CIF Division 5 Northern regional tournament on March 6 at Witter Field. 
Piedmont’s Gianluca Bini (34) wrestles Colusa’s Edwin Fierros during the Highlanders 2-0 victory. Piedmont will host the CIF Division 5 regional final on March 8 against Williams. 
Piedmont’s Harper Mand (35) stands over Colusas’s Eric Gonzales (white) after a collision during the Highlanders victory in the CIF playoffs on March 6. 
Piedmont’s Jimmy Lagios (37) defends Colusa’s Romeo Ponce (14) in the first half of the Highlander’s 2-0 win the CIF Division 5 Northern regional playoffs. 
Colusa’s Kenneth Arias (white) and Piedmont’s Callum Long (56), Jacques Saldanha (10) and Elias Reed-Miguel (58) look to the sky to find the ball.
“That’s a real good passing team right there,” Colusa coach Armando Garcia said. “They actually controlled 80 percent of the game. We came out a little bit flat-footed. That was a big difference.”
Oscar Ramos played an outstanding game for the Nighthawks, recording several saves including two punch saves pushing the ball over the net. “He had a great game,” Garcia said. “He always has a great game for us. Our defense is usually really tough. That’s an awesome team right there that we just played.”