Sereias da Vila, 2017 Brazilian champions | OneFootball

Guilherme Guarche, from the Memory Center

The clock showed 16 minutes, and Corinthians had already come close to opening the scoring twice, in addition to having the advantage of playing with the crowd on their side at Arena Barueri. Santos fans were anxious, but Sole Jaimes quickly calmed their nerves.

From a cross by Maria Alves, the Argentine striker headed with precision to score the goal that secured the Brazilian Championship, on July 20, 2017.Starting in 1997, Santos professionalized its women’s football department and became one of the pioneers of the sport. In 2009 and 2010, the Sereias won back-to-back Copa Libertadores Femenina titles and established themselves as one of South America’s powerhouses. In 2012, the category was discontinued, returning in 2015. And the Brazilian title was the most important achievement after the return.The national competition was in its fifth edition, and the Santos squad had been assembled to win the title for the first time. Maurine, Sole Jaimes, Ketlen, and Maria Alves were the team’s standouts under coach Caio Couto.The Sereias made their debut on March 17 at Vila Belmiro against Foz Cataratas of Paraná. A 3-0 win, with goals from Sole Jaimes, Patrícia Sochor, and Ketlen.The 16 teams competing in the tournament were divided into two groups, and Peixe took the lead in Group B. At the end of the first phase, Santos had played 14 matches, with 11 wins, one draw, and only two losses. They scored 28 goals and conceded 10.After qualifying in first place, the Meninas da Vila faced Osasco Audax-SP in the quarterfinals and, with a 3-0 win and a 0-0 draw, advanced to the semifinals. In the next round, Iranduba-AM were the opponents, and with two victories Santos qualified for the finals. The first leg of the semifinals was played at Arena da Amazônia, and 25,371 people were in attendance, setting the biggest crowd in Brazilian women’s football up to that point (the 2019 Campeonato Paulista final between Corinthians and São Paulo recorded 28,862 people).Corinthians were Santos’s final obstacle in their quest to finally win their first Brazilian title. The São Paulo side had a better campaign on the way to the finals and therefore had the advantage in the showdown.The first match was played at Vila Belmiro on July 13. The Alvinegro board decided to open the gates, and got a pleasant surprise. Nearly 16,000 people attended the match, setting Santos’s biggest crowd at Vila Belmiro in 2017.The seaside club’s fans put on a show at Estádio Urbano Caldeira and pushed the Sereias da Vila toward victory. They started on top of the Corinthians side and got the opening goal after 15 minutes. After a mistake by the Corinthians defense, top scorer Sole Jaimes took advantage and opened the scoring for Peixe. The ball fell to the number 9, and she tapped it into the net.The crowd grew even more excited with Santos ahead and sang continuously to cheer on the Sereias.

The opponents were shaken by the pressure, and five minutes later, with a touch of class, midfielder Patrícia Sochor chipped the Corinthians goalkeeper and scored a beautiful goal at Vila Belmiro. The match ended 2-0, and Peixe could lose by as much as one goal in the grand final and still be champions.The decider was held at Arena Barueri, and the Sereias da Vila lined up as follows: Dani Neuhaus, Katiuscia, Camila, Carol Arruda, and Dani Silva; Brena (Cida), Maria, and Maurine (Tayla); Ketlen (Giovana), Patricia Sochor, and Sole Jaimes. Edina Alves Batista was the referee chosen for the match.Corinthians needed a two-goal win to take the decision to penalties, and a three-goal victory to win the trophy, and therefore took the initiative in the match.In the 2nd and 8th minutes, the Corinthians team nearly opened the scoring, and Santos had not gone past midfield. But the attacking power of the Sereias da Vila did not need much to find the net. In a clinical attack, in the 16th minute, Maria crossed and placed the ball onto Sole Jaimes’s head to make it 1-0 and leave Santos even closer to the title. It was the Argentine’s 18th goal, making her the tournament’s top scorer.With the aggregate score heavily against them, Corinthians pressed even more. Their attacks came to nothing, and the first half ended 1-0.After the break, the team from Parque São Jorge kept pressing without posing much danger to the Santos goal. And it was Sole Jaimes who nearly scored another goal for Peixe with a long-range shot in the 7th minute.Only in the 27th minute, from a corner kick, did Corinthians threaten, when the ball stayed close to the post and goalkeeper Dani held it before it had fully crossed the line.In the 48th minute, the referee ended the match, and the Sereias da Vila began the big celebration at Arena Barueri. Captain Maurine lifted the beautiful 2017 Brazilian Champions trophy, which is now immortalized in our Memorial of Achievements.The trophy crowned the work that began in 2015, and the Meninas da Vila were back to major triumphs and at the top of women’s football, a place they are used to being.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.