Weekly preview

Boys soccer crown up for grabs
By David Boldt
SCISL Weblog
Several crucial contests for the top spots in the league standings are on tap for the coming week, most notably in boys varsity soccer contests on Thursday, which should produce a pair of barn-burners. Buy your tickets early!
Red letter day
The Christian Learning boys varsity soccer team (3-1) could place itself in a commanding position with a win Thursday on its idiosyncratic home field, but it will be facing a resurgent Cambridge team (1-3), and also be without two of its best players, who will be sidelined because of red cards.

In the other contest, both International (2-2) and Co-operative (2-2) are probably savoring memories of the first encounter between the two teams as they prepare for the second. The Griffins, who are the home team this time, will be focusing on how they crafted a 3-1 lead against the Jaguars. The Jaguars will be reminiscing of how they stormed back in the last ten minutes to win the first game, 4-3.

In varsity girls volleyball the undefeated Griffins have already clinched at least a share of first place, and could guarantee sole possession of it by beating Co-operative Thursday in their home gym. Second-place Christian Learning will entertain Cambridge in the other game. Mathematically, Christian Learning, Co-operative, and Cambridge all still have a chance to gain second place.

Finishing first or second in the regular season not only confers bragging rights, but it also gives those teams "home-field advantage" in the first round of the championship playoffs.

Round and round they go . . .

On Tuesday, the topsy-turvy world of varsity girls soccer could either straighten itself out, or go into another strange convolution. Christian Learning and Co-operative will both be favorites as they take on Cambridge and International, respectively. However, both of the underdogs have demonstrated an ability to confound the odds-makers. International will be playing at home. Cambridge, which plays all of its games away due to the lack of a regulation soccer field, will be at Christian Learning.
In varsity boys volleyball, International and Christian Learning, which are tied for first place, will be seeking to hone their skills and add to their skein of victories when they take on Co-operative and Cambridge Tuesday. Co-operative, however, could climb back into contention by upsetting International, while winless Cambridge would no doubt relish the role of spoiler if it could surprise Christian Learning.
Drama in junior varsity
In junior varsity competition, possession of first-place will be at stake when Co-operative and International boys teams clash Thursday at International. The Jaguars are undefeated and the Griffins have only one loss.
Much the same situation obtains in junior varsity girls volleyball. The undefeated Griffins take on the 3-1 Jaguars Tuesday, with first-place again in play.

Varsity Boys Soccer

Soccer ballet: Griffin Dan Baldivieso unleashes shot, collides with Eagle defender

Jonathan Muñoz, International School
Christian Learning 3,International 2
Eagles gain rancorous win over Griffins
By Andre Candia
International School
The Christian Learning boys varsity soccer team, playing on their own field Thursday, avenged the defeat they had suffered earlier this year at the hands of International.
The Eagles won by the tight score of 3-2. The first match between the teams had been equally close, with International winning 2-1 on its home field.
The hard-fought game was marked by several controversial calls by officials, who annulled several apparent goals for offsides or other infractions. One of the International goals that was "called back" occurred in the final seconds of the game, and, if allowed, would have tied the score.
In addition, five yellow cards were issued to Christian Learning players, and one to an International player. Eagle Alex Apodaca received two yellow card each, which, under league rules, is the equivalent of a red card. Eagle fullback received a red card for a handball in front of the goal.
A red card results in expulsion from the game and at least a one-game suspension for the player. Consequently the two Christian Learning players will not be able to play in the Eagles match against Cambridge next week, which could make a difference. Apodaca is his team's leading scorer, and accounted for one of the three Eagle goals Thursday. Canaviri has been outstanding on defense.
The Eagles opened the scoring when Apodaca bumped a header into the goal, and then the Eagles increased their lead to 2-0 when striker Frankin Jou made a great run through the Griffin defense and scored. The lead grew to 3-0 when Eagle Josh Mojica unloaded a shot that passed above the goalkeeper, leaving him without chances to stop it.
It was now late in the second half, but the Griffins made it 3-1 when Jesus Rodriguez connected on a penalty shot awarded because of Canaviri's handball, and then 3-2 when Juan Javier Estenssoro scored. They then nearly tied the game in injury time with the goal that was annulled.
Two other apparent goals by International had also been called back earlier, and the game ended in tumultuous fashion, with much cheering screaming, and yelling. A large crowd was on hand for the game, including many students from both schools, along with a lot of Christian Learning parents.
Nicolaas Mostert, athletic director of Co-operative and chairman of the league executive committee, said that there will be a review of the situation with the officials and the teams involved during the coming week.
Looking to the future, he said "we have to recognize that officials are only human. Coaches need to take an aggressive role in controlling players interactions with referees." League rules, he said, state that only the team captain is allowed to protest decisions made by officials. The rule may not have been strictly enforced in the past, he added, but it will be in the future. Story corrected Oct 1.
PHOTO: Griffin Juan Javier Estennsoro (19) heads the ball upfield
Jonathan Muñoz, International School

Knights strike back, beat Jaguars 3-2
The Cambridge varsity boys soccer team notched its first victory against three defeats with a convincing 3-2 win against Co-operative Thursday on the Jaguars' field.
The Jaguars had won the first meeting between the two teams, 2-0 and revenge appeared to be sweet for the Knights, who took the field with a makeshift line-up that included three players who had played the entire junior varsity game earlier in the afternoon.
Junior Sanchez scored twice for the Knights, and Martin Pacor one. Jose Manuel Vasquez scored both of Jaguar goals.
The scoring began when Sanchez made good on a penalty kick in the first half, making the score 1-0 Cambridge.
Vasquez then scored his two goals to Co-operative ahead 2-1. Vasquez' first came on a corner kick. His second was a longer shot from the field.
Shortly before halftime, Pacor neatly headed in a Cambridge corner kick to knot the score at 2-2.
Sanchez' goal was the only one in the second half, and gave Cambridge the victory. Cambridge came close to scoring on numerous other opportunities, and Co-operative had its chances as well.
Cambridge goalie Juan Manuel Salas played a key role in thwarting Co-operative's offensive thrusts, with fine saves and able field generalship
The Jaguar goalie also some fine plays, but there were at least two occasions when spectators were left shaking their heads in wonderment as to how the ball had evaded going into the net.
Three Cambridge players and two Co-operative players were shown yellow cards during the game.
This story was written from reports by Sheida Anello of Co-operative and coaches.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

Griffin Simonne Ahuile launches a spike against Christian Learning
Jonathan Muñoz, International School

International wins 25-15, 25-19
Relentless Griffins win against Eagles
By Tim Swope
Christian Learning Center
Displaying precision and power, the International School varsity girls volleyball team extended their undefeated record to 4-0 with a victory against Christian Learning Thursday. The game was played at Christian Learning.
The Griffins won the first game by a score of 25-15, and then took the second 25-19. International continues to lead the league.
The loss brought Christian Learning’s record to 1-3, placing them in a tie for third place with Cambridge.
The Eagles fell behind at the start of the first game 9-3, then closed the gap to 13-12. However, the Griffins were able to keep the pressure on with a mixture of spikes, precisely placed returns, and booming serves, and gradually pulled away. Volleyball is a game where consistency can be all important, and Christian Learning started making too many mistakes to win against a team as good as International's.
Still, a number of the Eagle girls distinguished themselves. Kaylen Lampen had some superb spikes. Roxy Jien did some excellent serving and setting. Sabrina Hallock didn’t have her best game, but still pulled off some very nice spikes along with a few good serves. Alejandra Valencia was a powerhouse server in this game, and also did some excellent setting.

Jaguars defeat stubborn Knights 2-0
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative girls varsity volleyball team held off Cambridge in a match at the Jaguars gym Thursday.
The lead went back and forth in both games, with many long rallies, but the Jaguars prevailed in the first game 25-22, and then took the second 25-20. The second game was tied at 19, but after that point Co-operative surged to take the match.
Cambridge had won in three sets the first time the two teams met.

JV Boys Soccer

Co-operative bests Cambridge, 6-0
By Ximena Fagan
Co-operative School
The Co-operative School junior varsity boys soccer team defeated Cambridge 6-0 in a game played on the Jaguars’ field Thursday.
The first Co-operative goal was scored by Esteban Sauto; the second by Nicolas Cronenbold; the third by Nicolas Handal; the fourth by Milan Marinkovic; the fifth by Oliver Ledermann, and the last but not least by Santiago Paz.

International defeats Christian Learning, 10-1
The Griffins junior varsity boys soccer team crushed the Eagles with a 10-1 win and regained confidence for the playoffs, after that cofidence had been shaken by a loss to Co-operative.
The scoring began early for the Griffins with a goal by Francisco Gonzalez, his first of the year. The second goal for the Griffins came very fast after the kickoff by Christian Learning. It was scored by Valere Leo and seemed to relax the International players, but International coach Andrew Dolson urged his players to not get overconfident and to keep pushing.
The International players heeded their coach and put in 8 more goals. The third fourth and fifth were scored by Santiago Rosado, and gave him a hat-trick. Fransisco Gonzales made an additional three goals, giving him four for the game. Luis Felipe Quiroga added yet another goal to the total.
Christian Learning did not give up, and kept making offensive forays into Griffin territory. Finally Trevor Reed scored. (Corrected Sept. 30: The Christian Learning goal was originally misattributed.)
The last Griffin goal was scored by Harold Garay.
-- Andre Candia, International School

JV Girls Volleyball

International defeats Christian Learning, 2-0
By Soraya Dajbura
International School
The Griffin junior varsity girls volleyball team defeated the Eagles Thursday in straight sets in a match at Christian Learning´s gym.
International won the first set 25-9, and the second 25-12.
Four of the Griffin girls -- Ana Lauras Gutierrez Beatriz Nallar, Flavia Nostas, and Maria Victoria Gutierrez -- were capable of dominating action with their overhand serves. The Eagles were often unable to even touch many of the serves, which went across the net with what appeared to be almost rifle-shot speed -- and accuracy.
Nallar also demonstrated outstanding skill in strikes and setting.

PHOTO: Griffins huddle with coach Elizabeth Vilar

Jonathan Muñoz, International School

Co-operative downs Cambridge easily
From coaches reports
The Cambridge junior varsity girls volleyball team was no match for Co-operative in a match Thursday at the Co-operative gym. The Jaguars won the first game 25-13, and the second 25-17.
The stage is now set for next week's match-up between undefeated International and Co-operative, now 3-1, which will probably determine first-place in the league for the regular season.
Cambridge's record fell to 0-4.

Varsity Girls Soccer

Jaguars grind out 3-0 win over Knights
From coaches’ reports
The Great Scoring Drought of 2007 came to an end a little more than halfway through the first half of the game between the Co-operative and Cambridge girls varsity soccer teams Wednesday.
At that point Jaguar Tania Landivar adroitly took a pass from a teammate and kicked a goal. That was the first one scored in SCISL varsity girls competition in over two weeks, a period that had encompassed two scoreless ties that had involved all of the league’s teams (as well as the Santa Cruz Day holiday). Co-operative and Cambridge had played one of those 0-0 duels.
To be sure, when the game ended, there was still only one player who had scored in recent league history. That would be Landivar. However, the Jaguar seventh-grader did it (scored) three times.
Her hat trick accounted for all of the scoring in Co-operative’s 3-0 win, which moved Co-operative into first place over Christian Learning by a narrow, one-point margin. The difference between Co-operative and Christian Learning is, basically, the "bonus point" acquired by Co-operative for winning the shoot-out after the teams tied 1-1 earlier this season.
The three goals also moved Landivar into second place among the league’s leading scorers with a total of four.
For a while Wednesday it had looked as if Co-operative – and Landivar – might be held to just that one first-half goal. Cambridge’s “bend but don’t break” defensive scheme repeatedly thwarted scoring efforts by the home team.
However, the Co-operative attack seemed to build in intensity and wear down Cambridge, two of whose defensive players had played the entire junior varsity game earlier in the afternoon.
About halfway through the second half things came to a breaking point. A hard shot was blocked by the Lady Knights goalie, but Landivar, following up adroitly, got the rebound, outmaneuvered a defender, and rolled the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead.
The talented seventh-grader then added her third goal with a high-velocity penalty kick from about 20 meters out that ripped into the right-hand side of the net, beyond the goalkeeper’s outstretched reach.
While Cambridge’s effort to close down the Jaguars was estimable, the fact of the matter is that the Jaguars had more opportunities to widen their lead than the Knights had to narrow it. Landivar and teammate Alexia Handal, among others, came close to scoring for the Jaguars with shots that just missed, or on which the Cambridge goalie made deft saves.
Cambridge’s best chance came late in the second half when Lourdes Justiniano got the ball by herself, but the Jaguar goalie came out to take away the shot.

Varsity Boys Volleyball

Co-operative wins 25-16, 25-14
Knights pose no problem for Jaguars
From coaches' reports
A rapidly improving Co-operative boys varsity volleyball team easily defeated an inconsistent Cambridge team that, in order to field a team, had to start a fifth-grader who had played the entire junior varsity game previously.
The Jaguars won in straight sets, taking the first set 25-16, and the second 25-14.
Bad serves by Cambridge allowed Co-operative to get a lead in both sets. At that point the games became, in effect, training sessions for the Jaguars during which they were free to practice spike blocking and other advanced techniques. As the Jaguars perfected the techniques their winning margin grew, allowing the players to operate with increasing confidence.
The Knights did give Co-operative a work-out at times. Cambridge's setting techniques sometimes seemed better than Co-operative's, and the Knights could hold their own for brtief stretches characterized by long rallies that were well-played by both sides.
However, thse periods of parity would be brought to an end by a sloppy Cambridge serve. The level of play in the league has reached the point where a bad serve is equivalent to giving the opposition at least two points -- the point lost on the bad serve and at least one subsequent point resulting from the opposition's service.

JV Girls Soccer

Co-operative edges persistent Cambridge, 1-0
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative girls junior varsity soccer team defeated Cambridge by a narrow 1-0 score in a game played on the Jaguars' field Wednesday.
Sofia Sotelo, the league's leading scorer, accounted for the winning margin with a second-half goal in which the eighth grader was able to get past the last Cambridge defender to set up a one-on-one confrontation with the Cambridge goalie.
Otherwise, the game had been extremely even, though the Jaguars appeared to have had more shots on goal.

JV Boys Volleyball

Can't get much closer
Jaguars squeeze by Knights -- 25-23, 26-24
From coaches' reports
In a match that was if anything even closer than the scores would indicate, the Co-operative junior varsity boys volleyball team outdueled Cambridge Wednesday afternoon at the Jaguars gym.
The junior Jaguars won the first set 25-23, and then sneaked by in the second, 26-24.
The pattern of the second game, though, was not in the usual one in close contests, in which the teams take turns holding one- or two-goal leads. Instead, Cambridge would squirt out ahead, and then Co-operative would battle back.
Cambridge led 8-1 and 15-10 in the early stages of the second game. Co-operative did not actually tie the game until the score was 16-16, at which point the Knights jumped ahead again, only to be tied at 20-20.
Cambridge then once again went ahead, 24-22, but couldn't finish the set off. The Jaguars finally got the lead, 25-24, and then came through to win the final point-- and the match.
Both teams showed sharp improvement over their play earlier in the season.

Mid-season Review

First half story: Close races
By David Boldt
SCISL Weblog
The acknowledged goal of the National Football League in the United States has been to achieve a condition called “parity,” meaning that any team would be capable of beating any other team in any given week of the season.
The Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League seems to have come close to achieving that goal this season, at least in soccer.
At more or less the halfway mark in the season three of the boys varsity soccer teams are locked in a tie for first place. In addition, more than half of the games played by the varsity girls teams have ended in ties. (Some might say the latter achievement was carrying parity too far.)
And there is a distinct possibility that in the second half things could become even more tightly meshed in both soccer and volleyball.
The Cambridge puzzle
The boys varsity soccer teams of Christian Learning, International, and Co-operative head into the second half of the season with identical 2-1 records.
And although fourth-place Cambridge is winless at mid-season, the games have been close. One of its three losses was by one goal, and two were by two goals. Moreover, the Knights, who are the defending champions, have seemed the better team during portions of all three contests.
The key to the second half of the season might be the answer to this question: Who will the Knights finally decide to beat?
Analyzing the teams by scoring disclose some gaps between them, but less than among the girls' teams:

Varsity Boys Soccer -- Team Scoring
School name – goals scored – opponents’ goals – difference (+/-)
Christian Learning – 6 – 3 -- +3
Co-operative -- 7 – 6 -- +1
International – 8 – 7 -- +1
Cambridge -- 2 – 7 -- (-5)

The individual scoring records also show a balance, with no player or players dominating action. The 23 goals recorded have been scored by 12 different players. Four players from three different schools are tied for the league lead with three goals each.
There is one category in which there is a clear distinction: Penalties. International players have received 12 yellow cards and two red cards so far this season. No other team has received half that many.
Cambridge has received the fewest penalty cards, though a Cambridge player did account for the only other red card shown. At the end of the season the league presents its “Fair Play” award to the school whose teams have received the fewest penalties.
A visit to “Tie City”
As the season opened the competition seemed to break neatly into an upper division, containing Christian Learning and Co-operative, and a lower division pitting International against Cambridge.
The two schools in the “lower division” were beaten badly in their opening encounters with the “upper division.” Christian Learning beat both International and Cambridge by the same 7-0 score. Co-operative gave International a 4-0 pasting in their first meeting.
Things seemed to be set up for two fights: Christian Learning vs. Co-operative for first place, and International vs. Cambridge for third place.
And it looked as if they would be close fights. Christian Learning and Co-operative tied 1-1 when they met, while International and Cambridge tied 2-2 the same day.
However, things took a funny twist in the final games right before the Santa Cruz Day break. International tied Christian Learning 0-0, while Cambridge and Co-operative were also fighting to a 0-0 tie.
That meant there had been four ties in the first seven games of the season. (Co-operative and Cambridge still have to play the games that were postponed when a general strike prevented play on the scheduled opening day of the season. They will play Wednesday, Sept. 26.)
Still, despite these indications of equity, Christian Learning starts the second half in possession of first place, and with a clear edge in terms of goals scored (though one needs to keep in mind that Cambridge and Co-operative have played one less game):

Girls Varsity Soccer -- Team Scoring
School name – goals scored – opponents’ goals – difference (+/-)
Christian Learning – 21 – 7 -- +14
Co-operative -- 13 – 5 -- +8
International – 6 – 18 -- (-12)
Cambridge -- 5 – 15 -- (-10)

The individual scoring among the girls has been almost as diverse as among the boys. The 24 goals have been scored by 14 different players. Daniela Brooks of Christian Learning leads the league with five goals, but no other player has more than two.
Penalties have not been a major factor in the varsity girls games, where players still help fallen opponents get up. Only four cards have been shown -- all yellow -- and no team has more than two. Cambridge has not been penalized.
International takes lead in volleyball
International defined itself as the team to beat in all volleyball categories during the opening weeks of the season. All their teams had a nucleus of outstanding players, and seemed to be better prepared for competition. In the first three weeks of the season both the Griffin boys and girls varsities were undefeated and undisputed possession of first place.
The Griffin boys, however, were given a sobering shock in their last game before the break when Christian Learning beat them in convincing fashion, thereby moving into a tie for first place, with identical 3-1 records.
However, in overall scoring statistics, the Griffin boys still had an edge. (Note that the numbers are somewhat distorted by the way in which Cambridge’s forfeit to Co-operative is scored. It was recorded as if the set scores were 25-0, 25-0. Prior to the forfeit Cambridge had a better points for/ points against balance than Co-operative.) :

Varsity Boys Volleyball -- Team Scoring
School name – points scored – opponents’ points – difference (+/-)
International – 188 – 161 -- +27
Christian Learning -- 167 – 160 -- +7
Co-operative -- 169 – 160 -- +9
Cambridge -- 76 – 153 -- (-77)

The International girls varsity still had its 3-0 undefeated status at the mid-season break, and a two-game lead in the standing. (The other three teams were tied for second place with 1-2 records.) The Griffin girls had, however, lost their straight sets streak in the third game when the Cambridge girls, the defending champions, won one set. International prevailed, however, 2-1
An analysis of the scoring underscores the Griffin girls’ dominance:

Girls Varsity Volleyball -- Team Scoring
School name – Points scored – Opponents points – difference (+/-)
International – 159 – 104 -- +55
Christian Learning – 120 – 126 -- (-6)
Cambridge – 124 – 144 -- (-20)
Co-operative – 112 – 141 -- (-29)

League play resumes Wednesday, Sept. 26, when Co-operative and Cambridge play their postponed girls soccer and boys volleyball games at Co-operative. The regular schedule picks up Thursday, with International at Christian Learning, and Cambridge at Co-operative, for boys soccer and girls volleyball. Junior varsity teams will participate both days, in both sports.
The really big story in volleyball, though, has been the overall improvement in the quality of play.
For all teams serving has become more effective, setting more precise, and "spikes" are being made into "kills." Yet at the same time that most difficult skill of all -- blocking a spike -- is being more widely used, and defenders are becoming more adept at "digging" hard-hit balls by diving to insert their fist between the ball and the floor so that it pops up to be played. With the defense keeping pace with the offense in these ways, the result is long, exciting rallies with fine plays being reciprocated again and again.
Commenting on this general improvement, Alejandra Salto, athletic director and girls volleyball coach at Christian Learning, said, "At the beginning of the season the teams were getting to know each others abilities, but now they are more competitive because they know what to expect. I think that they underestimated their abilities."
The league might be well advised to try to sell tickets to the next rematch between the International and Christian Learning boys, probably in the play-offs. It should be one of the best sports events in Santa Cruz this year.
-- Statistics for this article provided by Alejandra Salto, Christian Learning Center athletic director

Varsity Girls Soccer

Roxy Jien (9) cranks home a goal during shoot-out (Corrected Oct. 1)
Jonathan Muñoz, International School

Eagles, Griffins battle to goal-less tie

By SungChan Jang
Christian Learning Center
It was another windy day in September, but quite a different outcome for the Christian Learning and International varsity girls soccer teams.
The first time the two teams had met the Eagles had defeated the Griffins 7-0. This time the two teams fought to a scoreless draw, 0-0. International showed great improvement in its teamwork. Both teams did their best to win this game, but neither could find the back of the net.
The Eagles got the “bonus point” in the standings by winning a penalty kick shoot-out 4-2. Under a new league rule the winner of the shoot-out following a tie game gets two points in the league standings, and the loser gets 1. An outright win gains three points, while a loss scores no points.
For the Eagles, Sabrina Hallock, even with her bad ankle, was able to grab many chances to make a goal. Daniela Brooks also showed great skill with her intrepid dribbling, accurate passes and sharp kicks. She also had many chances to make a goal, but the Griffins’ goal keeper didn’t let any balls go through. She acted as if she were a wall built in front of the goal.
Brooks’ closest chance came when she took command of a rebound, and appeared to have a point blank shot at an empty net, but at the last moment Griffin defender Mariana Chavez came out of nowhere to take the ball away from her.
The Griffins had their share of chances as well, and actually dominated play in the first half of the game during which the Eagles goalkeeper handled the ball 19 times, compared to 10 for the Griffin goaltender.
The game ended with the scoreboard showing 0-0. In the shootout, which was marked by loud cheering from the players and a large crowd, four Eagles made their shots from the penalty line and two Griffins. The Christian Learning scorers were Jennifer Lau, Daniela Brooks, Roxy Jien, and Alejandra Valencia.
For International, Regina Landivar and Fernanda Sepulveda made their shots. Melissa Roca, Stephanie Saltzsieder, and Fabiana Murillo missed.
The Eagles did not take their fifth shot since victory was assured at that point.

Joyous Eagles mob Alejandra Valencia after her kick wins shoot-out.
SungChan Jang, Christian Learning Center

Yikes! Same story!
Jaguars, Knights also unable to score
By Sheida Anello
Co-operative School
The game between the Co-operative sand Cambridge varsity girls soccer teams played on the Jaguars campus ended in a 0-0 tie.
Co-operative won the post game penalty shoot-out 4-2 to get the “bonus point” in the league standings. A shoot-out follows all tie games under a new league rule. The winner of the shoot-out gets two points in the standings, and the loser gets one point. An outright win scores three points, and a loss gets no points.
This wasn’t the best game for either school, but Cambridge could take satisfaction in the fact that it gained a tie against a Jaguar team that might have seemed the favored team based on previous comparative scores.
Jaguar Tania Landivar had a free kick bang resoundingly off the goal post in the second half, and the Cambridge goalie made a dramatic save of another shot that appeared to be on the verge of dribbling into the goal. The Jaguar goalie also made several intrepid saves, but there were not a lot of thrilling offensive plays on the field as the defenses of both teams dominated play.
In the shoot-out, Jaguars Cecilia Aponte, Hailey White, Tania Landivar, and Alexia Handal knocked in their opportunities to shoot on goal from the penalty shot line. For Cambridge, Nadia Rocco and Andrea Saba made two amazing goals, but their teammates’ shots misfired.
The two teams will have a quick rematch. They play again next Wednesday, Sept. 26, in a make-up game for the game that was postponed because of the general strike that occurred on the opening day of the league season.

Boys Varsity Volleyball

Eagles shock Griffins with 2-0 victory
The Christian Learning boys volleyball team shocked the previously unbeaten International team with a no-nonsense straight sets victory that catapulted the Eagles into a two-way tie with the Griffins for first place.
The Eagles, clearly feeling more comfortable playing in their own gym, showed outstanding play as a group in the first set, winning 25-13. The confidence the Eagles had built up carried over into the second game, in which International tried to recover. The Griffins play improved, but the effort was not enough, and Christian Learning won 25-22.
It could be seen that the Eagles have been working and practicing to surprise other teams.
Sometimes it seemed as if the Eagle boys simply would not let the ball hit the floor on their side. Kyle Swope made some great saves on balls that International appeared to have tipped into an undefended zone. Danny Canaviri made some great serves for the Eagles and Esteban Eguez hit well from the front line.
International’s best spiker, Pablo Muñoz, was almost neutralized by the artful blocking of Eagles Tim Swope and David Lotz, who always seemed to be coming up in front of Muñoz on the other side of the net.
However, the most important factor was Christian Learning’s ability to function as a team, helping each other out, and anticipating each other’s moves. It required a very disciplined effort to beat a very good International team that had zoomed through its three previous games, losing only one set and outscoring its opponents 153-111. International won the first meeting between the two teams in straight sets.
-- This story was written from reports by Claudia Pantoja of International School and from coaches.

Cambridge forfeits to Co-operative
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative boys varsity volleyball team won its match with Cambridge Thursday by forfeit. An official from Cambridge called Co-operative shortly before game time to say that Cambridge did not have enough players to field a team. The forfeit, which is scored 25-0, 25-0, gave the Jaguars their first victory of the season, making their record 1-2. Cambridge's record fell to 0-3.

JV Girls Soccer

Co-operative defeats undermanned Cambridge, 3-0
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative junior varsity girls soccer team posted an easy 3 to 0 win Thursday against a Cambridge team that could only field 8 players. The game was played on the Jaguars field.
Sofia Sotelo tallied two goals for the Jaguars, and Giovanna Varalta scored the third.

JV Boys Volleyball

Griffin Francisco Gonzales (13) tries to block Eagle Pablo Oh's spike
Jonatan Muñoz, International School

Tough match goes three sets
International barely escapes against Eagles
From coaches' reports
In a fiercely contested match in which both teams demonstrated dramatically improved skills, International ultimate wrestled a 2-1 victory away from a tenacious Christian Learning squad Thursday afternoon in the Eagles' gym.
The Eagles took the first set 26-24, with many of the points being decided only after long, varsity-length rallies, and the lead changing hands many times. It marked only the second set the Griffins JV boys had lost this year.
International then appeared to rally in the second game, and aided by several Eagle service errors built an 18-9 lead, which they then basically held to win 25-16.
The scene was then set for the deciding set, which couldn't have been closer. The two teams were within a point of each other for the entire game, with ties at 13-13 and 14-14.
At that point the Eagles seemed to become unnerved when the referee took the ball away from them and gave International a point when the Eagle player took too long to serve. It had appeared that International was going to make a substitution.
International siezed the initiative and took the next two points to win 16-14.
The most impressive aspect of the game may have been the high quality of play by both teams. Eagle coach Bob Friessen said after the game he had told his players "not to just hit the ball back," but to put some steam on the ball. That seemed to have been the same instruction that the Griffins had received, but, interestingly, the players' defensive skills were often a match for the new offensive intensity.
International showed finer technique but that seemed to be balanced by Christian Learning's heart and courage. The Eagles made a difference by digging for every ball, and making sure they made good serves. It was a long game, full of emotion. These two teams were definitely working hard to make it to the finals.

-- This story was written from reports by Claudia Pantoja of International School and from coaches.

Cambridge doesn't show, forfeits to Co-operative
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative junior varsity boys volleyball team won by forfeit against Cambridge Thursday afternoon after Cambridge reported that it was unable to field a team.

Varsity Boys Soccer

Eagles beat Jaguars with ease, 3-1

From coaches’ reports
The Christian Learning boys varsity soccer team had a surprisingly easy time getting past Co-operative, 3-1, in a game played on the Eagles’ home field Thursday.
Co-operative got its lone goal in the final seconds of the game. Earlier Josh Mojica, Ricardo Telchi, and Alex Apodaca had scored for Christian Learning.
Co-operative had looked to be the stronger team on paper with its record of two wins against no losses. The Eagles had won a game and lost one against the same opponents.
Thursday’s result put the two teams into a tie for first place with International School.
It’s turning out, as many predicted, that in this league this year on any given Thursday any team can win.
Cambridge is winless, but two of its losses were by slim one-goal margins. It’s widely thought unlikely that the Knights, the defending champions of the league, will have the same record in the second half of the season, which starts next week.
The first half of the game between the Eagles and the Jaguars was indeed an even match. No goals were scored. Though both teams had scoring opportunities, most of the action took place in the middle of the field.
Mojica got the scoring for the Eagles started in the second half on a free kick from just outside the penalty box. Telchi made it 2-0 when he took a well directed pass and launched a shot from at least 30 meters away.
Apodaca added the third Eagle goal when he darted forward on a corner kick and headed the ball into the goal.
As the clock wound down, the large crowd of students and parents had to have in mind the dramatic three-goal comeback Co-operative had engineered in the last ten minutes of its game against International the previous week.
Co-operative did seem to be on the verge of making some breakaways, but until the very end fleet Eagle defender Danny Canaviri was able to win the race against the Jaguar attackers and kick the ball out of danger.
In the last seconds Juan Alfredo Abuawad finally did get away from the Eagle defense to score for the Jaguars and avoid a shutout, but it was too little, too late.

Eduardo Bedoya (No. 9, at left) takes a shot against Cambridge. (Arrow shows ball)

-- Jonathan Munoz, International School

International 3, Cambridge 2
Bedoya's goal gives Griffins a win
By Andre Candia
International School

Eduardo Bedoya scored in the final minutes to give the International varsity boys soccer team a 3-2 win Thursday over Cambridge, which had led for much of the game.
Daniel Baldivieso and Tommy Marcos accounted for the Griffins other goals. Junior Sanchez scored twice for Cambridge, the Knights’ first scores of the season. The game was played at International.
The victory moved the Griffins into a three-way tie with Co-operative and Christian Learning for first place. All have two wins and one loss. Cambridge in winless, but is not expected to remain so, meaning the race for the championship will be very tight.
Cambridge began the scoring with a tremendous free-kick by Sanchez into the topmost part of the goal that left Griffin goalie Mauricio Nostas with no chance to block it.
The score was evened at 1-1 when Baldivieso won a fight for the ball with the defense, and then poked it into the goal.
Sanchez put the Knights ahead again, only to see the score tied by Marcos on a confusing play where the ball bounced around among players until the Griffin forward got it and shot it to goal.
It looked the match would be a tie and go to a shoot-out, but in the last few minutes of the match Eduardo Bedoya scored the goal to give the Griffins the victory with a long shot that the goalkeeper couldn’t hold. It was Bedoya’s third goal of the season, and his second game-winner.
There were penalty cards for each team. For International, which is leading the league in penalties by a wide margin, Rafael Ribeiro and Janivo Schotsig got yellow cards, and Jose Luis Bedoya got a red card. Cambridge was issued one yellow card, which went to Sanchez.

JV Boys Soccer

Flat tire forces Cambridge forfeit to International
The Cambridge junior varsity was delayed by half an hour in arriving for the match with International when the school's bus had a flat tire, so International was declared the winner by forfeit.
In accordance with league rules, the score is recorded as 2-0. That was International's second win of the season against one loss. Cambridge's record now stands at 1-2.
Correction: This story originally said that the goals in a forfeit are credited to the team captain of the winning team. This turns out to be incorrect. The goals are not credited to any player.
-- Andre Candia


Co-operative wins by big score at Christian Learning
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative junior varsity boys soccer team defeated Christian Learning 10-0 Thursday. The game was played at Christian Learning
Milan Marinkovic led the Jaguar scorers with three goals. The following players scored one each: Esteban Sauto, Santiago Paz, Nicolas Handal, Marco Salvatierra, Juan Carlos Laguna and Nicolas Cronenbold. The remaining goal was accounted for by a Christian Learning defender who accidently deflected the ball into his own goal.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

International 2, Cambridge 1
Griffins quell Knights' uprising
From coaches' reports
The International varsity girls volleyball team had to put down an attempted insurrection by the Cambridge Lady Knights to post its third victory in as many games last Thursday at its home gym.
Things started off as they normally have for the Griffin girls, who won the first game 25-16. There were many long rallies, and good plays made on both sides, but the team from International tended to prevail.

The Knights delivered a shock in the second game however, winning 25-19. This marked the first time that the Griffin girls varsity team had lost a set this season, and seemed to set the stage for an upset. The Knights also came from behind to beat Co-operative earlier in the season, and no doubt had thoughts of doing so again.

But their plans for an upset came to naught as the Griffins reasserted the supremacy in the third set, winning 15-6, thereby consigning Cambridge, with a record of 1-2, to third place in the league.

PHOTO: Melissa Roca's service has been key to Griffin success
Jonatan Muñoz, International School

Eagles post win over Jaguars
From coaches' reports
Christian Learning's varsity girls volleyball team had only modest difficulties beating Co-operative Thursday afternoon in their home gym, winning in straight sets.
The Eagles won the first game 25 to 17. The second game started as an even battle, and
was tied at 13-13. The Eagles then proceeded to pull away gradually, winning 25-18.

JV Girls Volleyball

Unbeaten International easily defeats Cambridge, 2-0
Juan Sebastian Narvaez
International School
The International junior varsity girls volleyball team, playing very well, won both sets in its match against Cambridge Thursday with a big difference of points in each.
International, playing in its home gym, won the first set 25-6. Cambridge had many bad serves, and fell behind 18 to 1 at one point. International's players served well, particularly seventh grader Diana Paola Melgar, whose service accounted for many of International's points.
International won the second game 25 to 16.

Jaguars squeeze, then breeze against Eagles
From coaches' reports
The Co-operative junior varsity girls volleyball team fought back to win the first game against Christian Learning Thursday by a narrow margin, then rolled to a much easier win in the second set.
The Eagles, who were playing in their home gym, built up a large lead at the beginning of the first game, leading at one point by 18-10. The Jaguars came back, however, to take the game 25-23.
The second set, during which Eagle errors became increasingly frequent while the Jaguars' play became steadier, went to Co-operative by a score of 25-17.

Varsity Girls Soccer

Co-operative wins shoot-out
Eagles, Jaguars battle to a 1-1 draw
Christian Learning and Co-operative started Tuesday afternoon unbeaten, and emerged from their encounter at the Eagles’ field still unbeaten, but with a tie on both their records.
The final score was 1-1.
Under a new league rule, tie games are to be followed by a “shoot out” in which five players from each team try to score from the penalty marker, a short distance from the goal. The winner of the shoot-out is credited with two points in the standings, the loser receives one point. (An outright win is worth three points.) Co-operative won the shoot-out 4-2.
The game was as close as the score would indicate. Eagle co-captain Jennifer Lau scored first, and that goal accounted for all of the scoring in the first half, though there were plenty of near-misses. One Jaguar shot hit the goal post, and there were several others stopped only by the sure-handed saves of the Eagle goalie.
In the second half the Eagle girls were able to keep the ball in the Jaguars end for much of the game, and had a number of shots on goal, but the Jaguars would repeatedly make lightning raids on the Eagle goal that were thwarted only at the last moment by the goalie or errant marksmanship.
Finally Jaguar Hailey White got her foot on the ball in front of the Eagle goal and didn’t miss, knotting the score at one all.
The tie was nearly broken in the last seconds of the game when Sabrina Hallock of Christian Learning broke loose and was apparently set for a point blank shot at the Jaguar goal, but the Co-operative goalie, in a daring move, charged out and snuffed the shot.
In the shoot out, Cecelia Aponte, Hailey White, Tania Landivar, and Alexia Handal made good on their shots for the Jaguars.
Jennifer Lau and Roxy Jien successfully converted their shots for the Eagles.
-- This story was written from reports provided by John Vargas of Christian Learning and coaches.


International takes shoot out
Knights, Griffins end up even at 2-2

By Roya Nowroozyani
International School
International School and Cambridge College varsity girls soccer teams fought to a 2-2 tie on the Griffins home field Tuesday.
Under a new league rule, tie games are followed by a shoot-out in which five players from each team take penalty shots with only the opposing goalie defending. The winner of the shoot-out is awarded two points in the league standings, and the loser gets one point. (An unequivocal win is worth three points.
International won the shoot-out 2-1.
The game started out badly for the Knights, with their goalie, Raquel Yambae, fumbled a shot by Fabiana Murillo Monasterio, which then rolled into the goal. However, Cambridge soon recuperated and took a 2-1 lead after decisive goals by Manuela Yañez and Moira Vaca.
Griffin Stephanie Saltzsieder evened out the game with her kick, which seemed to curl downward miraculously to slip just inches below the crossbar and give the Griffins the tie they yearned for.
Both teams played hard and had other scoring opportunities. Yellow cards were issued to players on both teams.
In the penalty shoot-out, the Knights scored first on a goal by Lourdes Justiniano that flew past the Griffins goalkeeper, Regina Landivar.
The Griffins evened things up on a shot by Landivar, the Griffin goalie. Monasterio was the last player to take a shot for International. She made it, putting the home team ahead in the shoot-out, 2-1.
The other shots were either saved by the goalkeepers, or missed the net.
Neither team had scored before this game, but both played aggressively, perhaps giving a preview of greater success in the rest of the season.

JV Girls Soccer

Co-operative outpaces Christian Learning in 4-0 win
From coaches reports

The Co-operative junior varsity girls soccer team defeated Christain Learning 4-0 Tuesday on the Eagles field. Sofia Sotelo scores three times for the Jaguars.
Giovanna Varalta scored the other goal in particularly artistic fashion, spinning away from a defender, then launching a shot that curved gracefully into the corner of the net.

Varsity Boys Volleyball

Griffin comeback stuns Knights

By Claudia Bernal
International
The International varsity volleyball team made an awesome comeback in the first game of its match with Cambridge, which the Griffins went on to win 2-0 in their gym Tuesday.
The Cambridge Knights started out playing really well, and seemed to be on the verge of winning the first game when the score stood at 24-17. But the Griffins, with a lot of effort, fought back to a tie at 25-25, then took the last two points to win the first set 27-25.
The second set seemed even tougher as you just saw the ball going back and forth many times on every point, and points being made by both teams. The last few minutes were really exiting because the score was really close for most of the game, but the Griffins were able to emerge successfully, winning the second set 25-21.
Martin Gonzales, playing though injured, served very well during the comeback for the Griffins.
For Cambridge senior Jorge Yuan made many excellent plays at the net, and served well.

Eagles hold off Jaguars for 2-0 victory

From coaches' reports
The Christian Learning varsity boys volleyball time breezed by the Co-operative School team in the opening game of its match, then scrambled to win the second game by a much thinner margin, 26-24.
David Lotz and Jeff Stabler were both impressive for the Eagles, which also got good performance from two new members of the team, Frankin Chow and Danny Canaviri, who set the ball up for their teammates' spikes.

JV Boys Volleyball

International takes Cambridge in two straight
The International junior varsity boys volleyball team was successful in its quest for a win Tuesday against Cambridge in its home gym, winning 2-0.
The Griffins won the first set 25-18, then took the second set 25-16. It was an interesting game where the SCIS players showed their potential and team work. Juan Carlos Velasco did an outstanding job serving, and made some amazing returns.
-- Claudia Bernal

Christian Learning wins against Co-operative, 2-0
From coaches reports
The Christian Learning junior varsity boys volleyball team defeated Co-operative 2-0 Tuesday in a game played in the Eagles gym. The Eagles squeezed by the Jaguars in the first game 25-23, then had things somewhat easier in the second, winning 25-17. Nicolas Smith did a fine job in setting the ball up for his teammates, and functioned as the team leader. Ji Hun Chu also did a good job setting.

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Varsity Girls Soccer

High-Flying Eagles win easily at International

By Sandi Wilcke
Christian Learning
It’s hard to explain -- 7-0 and 7-0 again.
The Christian Learning girls varsity soccer team defeated International School 7-0 Monday – the same score by which they had defeated the Cambridge Knights in their previous game.
This group of teenage girls is clearly in a position to fight for supremacy in the SCISL. A key test will come Tuesday (Sept. 11) when the Eagles will face Co-operative, which is also unbeaten, on the Eagles’ field.
It should prove to be an entertaining competition. The Jaguars are three-time league champions, but the Eagles will be seeking to swoop into their territory and wrest the crown from their claws.
Balanced scoring is making the Eagles even more of a threat this year. Four Eagle players scored yesterday. Daniela Brooks, who is currently the league scoring leader, knocked in two goals Monday, as did Alejandra Valencia. Co-captain Jennifer Lau, Laura Lindahl, and Sabrina Hallock each scored a goal.
The game looked like an even contest at first, and the Eagles led only 1-0 more than halfway through the first half. The first goal had been scored by Valencia. But then the Eagles began to break through the International defense. By halftime the score stood at 4-0 after goals by Lau, Brooks, and Valencia again.
Lindahl and Hallock scored in the early part of the second half, after which Brooks brought the total to the magic 7 with her second goal.
The Lady Griffins did not give up, and continued to go after the ball, often seeming to out hustle the Eagles. The Griffins put on a stronger offensive effort than Cambridge. Against the Knights, Eagle goalie Whitney Belovicz only had to touch the ball once. Against International, Belovicz handled the ball almost 20 times.
However, no shot got by her and she recorded her second shutout.
PHOTO: Eagle foward Daniela Brooks (10) heads downfield.
Jonatan Muñoz, International School

Varsity Boys Volleyball

International wins tough match against Eagles
From coaches' reports
The International varsity boys volleyball team won a hard-fought match against Christian Learning Center Monday in their home gym.
The Griffins won in straight sets, but the teams seemed evenly matched for much of the contest. The Eagles suffered a severe serving lapse early in the first game when three successive players hit their first serves into the net or over the end line, thereby giving the point -- and ball -- to the Griffins.
International built up a five-point lead over that stretch of play, and never gave it up through the rest of the game, emerging with a 25-21 win.
The second set was much more closely contested, though the final score, 25-22, was similar. The Eagles were within one point of the Griffins on several occasions during the game, and actually surged ahead 21-20 near the end. However, their effort seemed to lose force at that point, and International was able to win five of the six remaining points. On the final point the Griffins blocked an attempted Eagle spike.
Alex Roempler was outstanding for the Griffins, often controlling the center of the court on offense and defense.
For the Eagles, Jeff Stabler turned in an excellent performance. A tall player with a facility for both spiking and more subtle placement shots, he also plays on a team representing Santa Cruz. David Lotz was another Eagle who distinguished himself.
PHOTO: International's Waldo Bernal shows that Griffins can fly
Jonatan Muñoz, International School

JV Boys Volleyball

International wins in three sets against Christian Learning

The International junior varsity boys volleyball team ground out a three-set victory against a stubborn team from Christian Learning Monday in the International gym
International won the first set handily enough, 25-17, but then the Eagles came back to squeak out a win in the second, 27-25. The Griffins were able to reassert themselves in the third and deciding set, winning 15-11.

Boys Varsity Soccer

Jaguar Pablo Taborga (No. 10, center) battles a tenacious defender
Jonatan Muñoz, International

Jaguars trailed 3-1
Co-operative scrambles back to beat International, 4-3

By Andre Candia
International School
The Co-operative School varsity boys soccer team came back from the dead Thursday afternoon.
The Jaguars scored three goals in the final ten minutes to erase a two goal deficit and achieve a 4-3 victory over the International School Griffins, 4-3 in a hard-fought, emotionally-charged game on the Jaguars’ home field.
Andres Querejazu played the key role in the comeback, scoring all three of the Jaguars tallies in the comeback. Jaguar captain Pablo Taborga scored the Jaguars only goal of the first half on a free kick.
Daniel Baldivieso scored twice for the Griffins, and Tommy Marcos once.
Baldivieso started the scoring with a header shot early in the first half. After that both teams’ defense was solid until Marcos scored on a free kick, making the score 2-0 for International.
A few minutes later Co-operative was awarded a free kick, and Taborga rifled an amazing shot into the upper corner of the goal that was impossible for Griffin goalkeeper Mauricio Nostas to reach.
The score stood 2-1 at halftime, during which Griffin coach Andrew Dolson told his players not to get over-confident, and to keep pushing.
They did keep pushing. Baldivieso stretched the International lead to 3-1 with a left-footed shot mid-way through the second half, and it looked like everything was going the Griffins’ way.
Then Querejazu struck. His first goal came with 10 minutes remaining on the game clock. His second came on a corner kick by Taborga. Querejazu flashed toward the goal as Taborga’s kick approached, and appeared to be horizontal in the air when his head hit the ball into the goal.
His final goal to seal the victory seemed to be an act of sheer will power as he swerved through the International defense, evaded the last defender, and smacked the ball into the goal at short range.
Jaguar coach Orlando Taja jokingly suggested after the game that International may have made a strategic error in getting two goals ahead. “We always play better when we’re behind.”
Dolson took a philosophical approach in talking to his players after the game. “We have to learn from this experience,” he told them. “We can outplay them.”
Both teams played hard, and this was reflected in the large number of yellow cards – four for International and three for Co-operative. At one point near the end of the game tempers were flaring, and yellow cards were given to players on each team at the same time.
The starting team for International: Mauricio Nostas (goalkeeper), Eduardo Bedoya, Tommy Marcos, Rafael Ribeiro, Jonathan Paz, Daniel Baldivieso, Alex Roempler, Nicolas Bedoya, Jan Ivo Shostig, Jorge Harriague, and Daniel Roempler.
For Co-operative: Pablo Limpias (goalkeeper), Oliver Jones, Mateus de Carvalho, Federico Sauto, Jorge Rojas, Juan G.. Peredo, Esteban Espinoza, Cristóbal Roda,
Pablo Taborga, Esteban Cronenbold, and Jose Manuel Vasquez.

Christian Learning shuts out Cambridge, 2-0
Christian Learning scored one time in each half to defeat Cambridge, 2-0, on the Eagles home field. Esteban Eguez and David Lotz scored for the winning Eagles. Cambridge, which has now gone two straight games without scoring, had numerous opportunities, but was unable to cash in on them.
Further details to follow.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

Christian Learning posts victory against Cambridge
From coaches’ reports
The Christian Learning girls volleyball team scored a straight sets victory over Cambridge Thursday, taking the first game 25-14, then squeezing by in the second 25-23. The games were played at Christian Learning.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the first game on some great serves by Alejandra Valencia and Sabrina Hallock.
Both teams had trouble with service errors in the second game, with the lead changing hands several times. However, the Eagles were able to hold onto the lead late in the game.

International wins decisively against Co-operative
By Fernanda Mustafa Fleig
International School
The International School girls volleyball team defeated the Co-operative School 2-0 in a match played at the Jaguars gym Thursday afternoon. The score was the same in both games: 25-19.
The scores do not indicate how evenly played the games actually were, with the teams taking turns holding the lead in the early stages. The score in the second game was knotted near the end of the game at 18-18. At that point, however, the Griffins seemed to become steadier, winning seven of the next eight points to clinch the victory.
The Griffins now have posted two wins and appear to be getting better each week.
The Jaguars, though now 0-2, have several players that are new to the team, and are sure to improve as those players gain experience.
Both teams were clearly giving it all they had, with several players on both sides putting in outstanding efforts. For International, Simone Ahuile and Soraya Dajbura gave fine overall performances. For Co-operative, Veronica Richter, Ana Paula Justiniano, and Alexia Handal stood out.

JV Boys Soccer

Cambridge edges Christian Learning, 2-1
From coaches' reports
Cambridge College defeated Christian Learning 2-1 Thursday afternoon at the Eagles field. The game was close, but Cambridge was never behind.
The Knights took the lead midway through the first half on a goal by Wonwoo Lee. Herless Diaz scored the second goal for Cambridge in the second half. Ricardo Enns scored for the Eagles.
Corrected Sept 30: The Eagle goal was originally misattributed.

Co-operative slips by International, 2-1
The International and Co-operative junior varsity boys soccer teams, both of whom had won high-scoring victories the week earlier, engaged in a defensive battle on the Jaguars field Thursday, with Co-operative prevailing 2 to 1.
Nicolas Handal and Esteban Santo scored for the Jaguars. The Griffins goal was posted by Sergio Rosado.
The scoring began when the defense from International made a big mistake and turned the ball over to Santo, who was playing forward for the Jaguars. He scored and put the Jaguars in the lead by 1-0.
After that goal International attacked repeatedly with free-kicks and shots. Cooperative had a real scare when a header by Francisco Gonzales hit the crossbar. The Jaguars, for their part, tried to move the ball into the goal zone, but the Griffin defense was solid.
The score was evened when Gonzales evaded three defenders that were covering him. He fell at that point, but team mate Sergio Rosado came up from behind and made a great kick to score the goal.
After that the defenses of both teams stiffened, and both teams made substitutions to get fresh players onto the field.
The game was decided a few minutes before the end of the match when Nicolas Handal made the winning goal for the Jaguars with a long shot.
Yellow cards were shown for both teams. Valere Leo received one for International School, and Nicolas Handal for Cooperative school.
The captain for International was Sebastian Justiniano and for Cooperative it was Milan Marinkovic.
-- by Andre Candia

PHOTO: Two Jaguars battle a Griffin for the ball.
Jonatan Muñoz, International

New schedule change for postponed games

The girls soccer and boys volleyball games originally scheduled to be played on opening day, Tuesday August 28, have been rescheduled for two dates.
The contests between International and Christian Learning (at International) will be played on Monday, September 10.
The games betwen Co-operative and Cambridge (at Co-operative) will be played on Wednesday, September 26.
The games were postponed because of a general strike. (See Schedule/Results at right for full updated schedule information.)

JV Girls Volleyball

Christian Learning easily outpaces Cambridge
From coaches reports
The Christian Learning junior varsity girls volleyball quickly defeated Cambridge Thursday in their home gym.
The winning Eagles won the first game 25 to 12, and took the second almost as easily, 25-14.
Christian Learning benefited from far more consistent serving. Jessi Kennedy’s service propelled the Eagles in the first game.
The second game was fairly very close until Sierra Nilsson stepped to the service line and proceeded to serve for the final ten points.

International defeats Co-operative without difficulty
By Claudia Pantoja
International School
The International School junior varsity girls volleyball team defeated Co-operative in straight sets Thursday at the Jaguars gym. The Griffins won the first game 25 to 12, and the second 25 to 14.
The Griffins took the lead early in both games, which was a different story from past years when the Jaguars were usually ahead. The Griffins have clearly improved and have become a more powerful opponent.
The International girls turned in several outstanding performances. Maria Velasco and Maria Gutierrez served well. Carla Limpias was effective both at the service line and at the net.

Varsity girls soccer

Jaguar Fernanda Vaca Diez (No. 19) knocks in a goal against Griffins.

-- Jonatan Muñoz, International School

Vaca Diez' goals pace Jaguar victory over Griffins
From coaches’ reports
The Co-operative School’s varsity girls soccer team evenly spaced four goals over the course of the game, while holding the International School scoreless, to post a 4-0 win on their home field Tuesday.
Fernanda Vaca Diez scored twice for the Jaguars, who led 2-0 at halftime. Haily White and Tania Landivar each scored once for the winners. No penalty cards were issued in the game. The girl Jaguars have won the league trophy for the past three years, and appeared to establish themselves as favorites again this year. A gusty wind on the hot, hazy afternoon did not appear to be a factor.
The Jaguars third goal, scored some minutes into the second half, was probably the play most likely to make the film of the season’s highlights.
From the edge of the penalty area Landivar smacked a shot in the general direction of the goal. The ball caromed high in the air off the hip of a defender. The Griffin goalie, Laura Chavez, who had come out to defend, watched helplessly as the ball arced over her head, and bounced merrily into the netting.

Correction: Earlier reports incorrectly credited Tania Landivar with two goals, instead of Fernanda Vaca Diez.

Daniela Brooks tallies three
Eagles score easy win over Cambridge Knights
From coaches reports
Daniela Brooks achieved a "hat trick" as the Christian Learning girls varsity coasted to a 7-0 win over Cambridge on their home field Tuesday.
In addition to Brooks' three goals, Minina Apodaca knocked in two goals, while Roxy Jien and Sabrina Hallock scored one each.
The score at halftime was 3 - 0. In the second half Cambridge moved its hard-kicking goalie, Andrea Saba, up to the front line in hopes of generating more offensive firepower, and inserted its junior varsity goalie, but the tactic was not successful.
Cambridge was clearly missing the talents of Karla Ross, who scored all but one of its goals last season, and who has graduated.

Boys varsity volleyball

Griffins outlast Jaguars to win three-set victory
By Soraya Dajbura
International School
The International School boys varsity volleyball team defeated the Co-operative School in a lengthy and well played three-set match at the loser’s gym Tuesday.
The Griffins, who are the defending champions, took the first game 25 to 23. The game winning point typified the hard-fought nature of the entire match. A Jaguar player seemed to have successfully spiked the ball to tie the score (yet again). However, the referee ruled that the Co-operative player had touched the net, thereby giving the point – and the game – to International.
The second game started off even more intensely, but the International boys seemed to get a case of nerves at crucial moments, enabling the apparently more relaxed Jaguars to gain a 25-20 win.
The third and deciding game started out in the same manner as the previous two. Points were decided only after long rallies, and the score was knotted at 5-5 shortly before the teams changed sides at the halfway point. The rallies continued to be lengthy, but gradually the Eagles seemed to gain confidence and pulled ahead, finally taking the game 15-7.
Both teams displayed a well balanced style of play using the talents of all their players, but some performances did stand out. The Griffins took advantage of Pablo Muñoz’ spikes and Martin Gonzales’ strong serves. Gonzales’ presence in the starting line-up had actually been in doubt because he had just recovered from an illness.
Rafael Mansilla was perhaps the hardest hitter for the Jaguars.
The game took place in front of a fairly large and quite noisy home crowd. The crowd was further animated by the Jaguar cheerleading squad, which was on hand in full force.

PHOTO: Jaguar Mateus de Carvalho's (No. 10) spike ricochets off a Griffin's attempted block.

Jonatan Muñoz, International

Christian Learning posts a 2-0 victory over Cambridge
From coaches’ reports
The Christian Learning boys varsity volleyball won in straight sets against Cambridge in a game played in the Eagles gym Tuesday. The Eagles took the first game 25-15, and the second 25-14.
(Further details to come)

JV girls soccer

Cambridge defeats Christian Learning, 3-1
By Jose Zhau-Fua and SungChan Jang
Cambridge College and Christian Learning
The Cambridge College junior varsity girls defeated Christian Learning by three goals to one Tuesday in a game played at the Christian Learning Center.
Cambridge led 1-0 at the half on a goal scored by Camilla Johnson on a breakaway. Vatania Pulis scored twice for the Lady Knights in the second half. Amaya Yañez was also outstdending. She was smaller than most of the players, but she showed great enthusiasm and sportive spirit.
For the Eagles, Jessi Kennedy scored on a penalty kick near the end of the game. Earlier, Stephanie Swope had several near misses.
Even in unfavorable weather conditions, with a strong wind blowing across the field, both teams played very hard and showed great sportsmanship until the end of the game without any big incident marring the game.

JV Boys Volleyball

International takes Co-operative in straight sets
The International boys junior varsity defeated Co-operative 2-0 Tuesday in a game played at the Jaguars gym. The Eagles won the first game 25 to 10. The second game was much closer, but International prevailed 25-22.
-- Soraya Dajbura, International

Christian Learning wins match against Cambridge
From coaches' reports
The Christian Learning boys junior varsity defeated Cambridge in a contest that went to three sets Tuesday at the Christian Learning gym. The Eagles took the first game 25-18. Cambridge won the second 26-24. The third, which was also closely contested, was won by the Eagles, 15-12.

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New soccer scoring system explained

In the League Standings at right the last number beside each school's name is for "points." It is in boldface. Under new League rules, a team gets 3 points for each victory. In the event of a tie their will be a penaly shot "shoot out." The winner of the shoot-out will get two points; the loser one point.