Highlanders fall to Sonoma Academy
At the beginning of the year, Piedmont High School’s star Miranda Liu wasn’t sure how the Highlanders 2025-26 girls soccer season would go.
“I didn’t really know what to expect because last year I only played one game at the end so that wasn’t a very good gauge of where we are,” Liu said. “I had friends who were seniors who were graduating who were really good.”
Liu spent most of her junior season playing club ball. But she and fellow senior Arden Sorensen-Wald had agreed they would both play their senior season for their high school team. Previous coach Dan Chubbock was fired and replaced by Matt Spencer.
“I just kind of had my expectations,” she said. “It is what it is, so I’m just going to enjoy my senior year.”
Liu summed up the season standing on the field at Sonoma Academy where the Highlanders had just fallen 2-1 in overtime on a chilly night in the Feb. 20 second round of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs.
“It has been wonderful,” Liu said. “I think we exceeded my expectations by far. The four freshman have been wonderful. They’re wonderful people, wonderful players. I can’t wait to see them grow.”
Daniella Luccaccini (5) plays the ball away from Sonoma Academy’s Evie Wonnacott (7). The Highlanders lost in the NCS playoffs, 2-1 in overtime. 
Sonoma Academy’s Amia Tantarelli (green) heads the ball in front of Piedmont’s Arden Sorensen-Wald (12). 
Arden Sorensen-Wald (12) fights Sonoma Academy’s Elaina Bruntlett (22) for the ball. Bruntlett had both Coyote goals in a 2-1 overtime win. 
Olivia Nealon (18) plays the ball during an NCS Division 2 playoff game at Sonoma Valley on February 20.
Piedmont finished the season 10-8-2. The Coyotes (13-4-2) advanced to host Branson-Ross on February 24 in the semifinals.
Elaina Bruntlett scored both goals for Sonoma Academy. Her golden goal came five minutes into the first overtime period.
“We’ve practiced that a lot in practice lately,” Bruntlett said. “We call them our Beast Mode Headers. We’ll all be in a circle running around and practicing aggressive headers whether it’s offense or defense. My teammate Kate Bilal, she was able to get that ball back into me and I saw it coming at my head and I was like, ‘Ooh, this is the one! This is what I’ve been working on!’ And I was able to finish it so that was really exciting!”
Bruntlett said that was her first overtime game-winner of her career.
Said Liu, “Sudden death is always hard. Senior year. But I think they worked for it, they wanted it a little more than us and they got the goal. It’s always hard to end the season but I’m glad to have this team with me to do that.”
The Coyotes dominated play early on, spending the first 25 minutes pushing the ball into Piedmont territory. The Highlanders were able to play more even in the latter stretches of the first half, which ended scoreless.
Piedmont goalkeeper Rachel Young (red) secures a save while Elaina Bruntlett (22) and Darcy McKee (24) converge.
In the second half, play was more even. In the 51st minute, Piedmont goalkeeper Rachel Young came out to stop a shot. But Bruntlett was able to find the ball behind Young and put home the wide-open shot.
Four minutes later, Liu tied it up, taking a nice pass from Elia Kwong and putting the ball home.
In the 66th minute, Bruntlett just missed wide left on a crossing shot. That was the best chance either team had the rest of regulation.
“We knew we were the better seed,” Bruntlett said. “It was an amazing team that we just played against. We were really excited for this game because we knew it was going to be a tough one. A battle is always more fun than a rollover.”
Liu said she doesn’t know what her future is. She said she’d like to make a decision in March. When asked whether she wants to play in college or attend a school for academics, she said, “We’ll see.”
“I’ll go where the wind takes me,” she said. “I’m figuring it out right now basically.