Scoreboard for September 27th

Girls JV Soccer:

Cooperative 5, Cambridge 0

International 1, Christian Learning 1 (International won shootout 3-1)

Girls Varsity Soccer

Cooperative 8, Cambridge 0

International 2, Christian Learning 1

Boys JV Volleyball

Cambridge d. Cooperative 2-0 (25-19, 25-16)

International d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-19. 25-16)

Boys Varsity Volleyball

Cooperative d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-13, 25-19)

International d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-12. 25-17)

Stories below!

Varsity Girls Soccer - September 27

 Lady Jaguars Soundly Defeat Knights 8-0

By Sofia Sotelo, SCCS

                The Jaguar ladies continued to demonstrate their high quality play on the SCCS field during a hot Tuesday afternoon defeating Cambridge 8-0. The Knights never got a chance to even raise their hopes of winning.

                After just five minutes of play, Jaguar forward Tania Landivar scored a goal. Two minutes after that, her playmate Giovanna Varalta scored another, putting the Jaguars in the lead 2-0.  The third goal was an accidental goal made by a Knight after Fernanda Vaca Diez kicked a well-placed corner kick.

                About 22 minutes after the start of the first half, Landivar scored her second goal for the Jaguars by outrunning the defense.

The Jaguars dominated ball possession against the Knights.
Photo by Rocky Canelas.

     Realizing that her team was in complete dominance of the game, Jaguar goalie Karla Aguilera came out of her goal and started playing up to the midfield line. The last goal in the first half was again scored by Landivar, giving her a hat trick for the half, and the Jaguars a dominating 5-0 halftime lead.

            The second half of the game was a series of desultory back-and forth movements made by the Knights and the Jaguars. The action didn’t really get started until Vaca Diez scored her first goal for Jaguars by faking out a Knight defender, and threading the ball past the goalie.  Two minutes later, Diez scored her second goal, this time out-dueling the goalie in a one-on-one situation.

          The Jaguars started experimenting at this point to put a little more excitement into the game. All the players exchanged roles. Carla Limpias and Ana Peredo, the fundamental defensive players on the Jaguar team, were placed as forwards. Landivar played goalie, and goalie Karla Aguilera became a midfielder.

      Ten minutes before the end of the game, Limpias was clearly thrilled when she scored a goal, with a hard high shot that passed through the fingers of the leaping Cambridge goalie.

       The game thus ended 8-0 for the Jaguars, who remain undefeated and in first place in the league.

Griffins Edge Past Eagles 2-1

By Trevor Reed, SCCLC

        The International Griffins survived a scary showdown against the Christian Learning Center Eagles on Tuesday at the Griffin home field. Having won their first game against the Eagles 5-0, the Griffins were expecting no challenge and ended up lucky to avoid an upset.

The Eagles celebrate as they score the first goal of the game.
Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

        The Griffins started off with a strong attack and many scoring opportunities. However, the Eagles were able to hold off the initial attacks with skillful goalkeeping and extraordinary defense from Eagle Bekah Kienzle. Many corner kicks were awarded to the Griffins, but they were unable to finish off any of the well-placed kicks for goals. Meanwhile, the Eagle offense was having difficulty advancing the ball into Griffin territory, and the few times they were able to, Griffin defenders quickly cleared the ball. The Griffins continued to attack the goal with multiple corner kicks, but they still had no goals to show for it. However, it was the Eagles who struck first as they broke away into Griffin territory with the ball. A shot was made, and the Griffin goalie caught it, but it quickly slipped out of her hands and was free for the taking. The goalie dived for the ball and swatted it right into the feet of Eagle Abby Phillips who kicked it into the left side of the goal, igniting the Eagle fan section with cheers. The Griffins did not back down, and they continued to dominate possession even though the Eagles were much more enthusiastic and determined after their goal. A Griffin pass in front of the Eagle goal saved the Griffins as it was lost in the confusion and then deflected into the Eagle goal. The first half ended soon after with the game tied 1-1.

Natalia Davila scores off of a free kick to pull the Griffins
ahead 2-1.
Photo by Manuela Gonzalez.

        In the second half, the desperate Griffins continued to pressure the Eagle defense. One shot rocketed past the Eagle goal, slightly to the right of the post. However, the Eagles demonstrated good passing and took a few shots of their own. The Griffin goalie was able to block each of these shots, and the Eagles were forced once again to focus on defense. Suddenly, with the ball bouncing around near the Eagle goal, the referee blew his whistle and announced a foul, granting the Griffin team a penalty kick. A Griffin approached the ball and shot a hard kick off straight at the goal. Unfortunately for the Griffins, the aim was slightly off and the ball passed by the left goal post. The Eagle defense continued to have a hard time containing the Griffins, and this led to two inadvertent hand-balls. The Griffins shot the ball straight at the goal on both of these free kicks, but both shots missed. Finally, the Griffins were awarded a third free kick in a short amount of time, and they were able to place the ball in the Eagle goal, past the outstretched hands of the Eagle goalie. The referee soon blew the final whistle and the Griffins were relieved to have survived such a close game against the Eagles.

JV Girls Soccer - September 27

JV Jaguars Roll Past Knights 5-0
By Alejandro Marinaro, SCCS

A Jaguar defender clears the ball from Jaguar territory.
Photo by Rocky Canelas.

    The Cooperative junior varsity girls soccer team won a decisive 5-0 victory over Cambridge on the Jaguars home field in the heat of Tuesday afternoon.

      The first goal was made by the Jaguar Paula Sakuma, but the game had only begun. A few minutes later the second goal for the Jaguars was also scored by Sakuma. And before the first half ended Michelle Lederman made the score 3-0 in favor of the Jaguars.

       The fourth goal came in the beginning of the second half and was scored by Andrea Chavez, who also scored the Jaguars fifth goal, and the Jaguars celebrated a 5-0 victory.


Eagles Tie Griffins 1-1 (Griffins won shootout 3-1)
By Jonah Vanderzwaag, SCCLC

Griffin and Eagle players race after a loose ball.
Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

The Griffins and Eagles tied 1-1 on Tuesday due to very good offense from International and very good defense from the Christian Learning Center. In the first half the ball stayed near the Learning Center's goal but the first half remained scoreless.

In the second half the Griffins made the first goal, but the Eagles responded soon after with a goal of their own. At the end of the second half the score was 1-1.

To decide who would gain an extra point in the rankings, a penalty shootout was held. During the penalty shots the Eagles switched goalies, but an argument between the coaches and referees led to the goalie being switched back. In the end, International made 3 of their shots and the Eagles made 1.

Varsity Boys Volleyball - September 27

Griffins Conquer Eagles In Straight Sets
By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

The International varsity boys volleyball team outlasted the Christian Learning Center team on Tuesday afternoon at the International gym. The Griffins swept the Eagles with scores of 25-12 and 25-17, taking the 2-0 match victory.

The Griffins came out strong in the first set. They jumped to an early 5-0 lead with continuous attack from senior Francisco Gonzales. Francisco provided a solid threat against the Eagles, never ceasing his aggressive spiking. He delivered the ball with speed and accuracy, greatly contributing to the Griffins’ early dominance. When the score reached at 8-3 in favor of the Griffins, the Eagles called out a timeout. After the timeout, the Eagles seemed much more decisive and well-organized than before. Although they couldn’t catch up the big margin, they performed a balanced, unified game with all players pulling their maximum weight. Jesse Mann, one of the outstanding attackers of the Eagles, led the solid front offense with a constant spiking. He made many reliable digs as well as several kills, encouraging the Eagles. In spite of this effort of the Eagles, the Griffins maintained their lead and even widened the score gap by 21-6. Finally the first set ended at 25-12, giving the Griffins the first set.

In the second set, the Griffins seized control again, but this time it was not a big-margin lead but instead only a few-point lead. The Griffins managed to maintain their slight advantage but the Eagles eagerly caught up, tying the score several times, 2-2, 3-3, 7-7 and 8-8. However, at the point where the score was evened at 8-8, the Griffins took a quick three point lead. They began to build the momentum and soon dominated the game. Santiago Maldonado and Juan Sebastian were the key factors of the Griffins’ dominance in the second set. Their tactical attack and steady defense continuously increase the score gap, ensuring the Griffins’ victory. The Eagles standouts were Wesley Antonio Ordonez and Cesar Flores. Long and harsh rallies continued and the score reached 17-14. At this point Juan Sebastian was serving for the International and he made three consecutive aces, widening the gap to 20-14. The Griffins steadily maintained their advantage and finally won the second set 25-17.

Jaguars Easily Subdue Knights 2-0
By Manuel Saavedra, SCCS

      The Cooperative boys varsity volleyball team managed to overcome Cambridge in two straight sets -- 25-13 and 25-19 -- in a Tuesday afternoon clash at the Jaguar gym.

     Even though the Knights put up a much better fight in the second set, the Jaguars controlled the game without too many complications.

     In the first set, the Jaguars maintained control with their precise serves and hard spikes. Rodrigo Adriazola exuded confidence in one of his main strengths, the serve. With it, he was able to score several points in a row for the Jaguars. In a short time, the Jaguars went in front 23-8, and seemed to have the first set wrapped up.

      Then, suddenly the Jaguars lost their focus for a moment and the Knights took advantage by scoring five rapid points. But the Jaguars got back on track and sealed their victory in the first set, winning 25-13.

       In the second set, the Cooperative boys played with calm confidence now that they had won the first set. Even so, at the beginning the score kept really close as the Knights seemed to realize that by putting their best effort, they could turn things around.

A Cambridge player prepares to block a Jaguar spike.
Photo by Rocky Canelas.

       Unfortunately for the Knights, they weren’t able to surpass the Jaguars, who started to get the score under control. The last time the Knights were close was when they trailed by only three points at 15-12 during the middle of the second set.

    At the end of the game, the Knights started to lose concentrate, while the Jaguars became more focused, and finally took the second set 25-19. 

     The Jaguars will now get a chance to challenge International for the top spot in the League next week. The Jaguars are now 3-1 on the year, while International is 4-0.  

JV Boys Volleyball - September 27

Jr. Knights Upend Jaguars 2-0
By David Boldt

     The Cambridge boys junior varsity volleyball team maintained a firm hold on second place in the League by beating Cooperative for the second time this season. The Knights posted a straight sets victory over the Jaguars in the Jaguar gym Tuesday, winning the first set 25-19 and the second 25-16.

     Both of the junior varsity teams showed themselves capable of varsity-level teamwork and defense, with a number of players on both sides delivering high-speed overhand serves. But Cambridge seemed to be hitting the ball a little harder, a little more often. 

     The Knights got off to an 8-2 lead in the first set, and the Jaguars were never able to cut down that advantage to less than four points, which they achieved at 14-10. Indeed, the Knights appeared ready to seal the deal when the score reached 24-16, but then committed a series of miscues that allowed the Jaguars to narrow the final margin to 25-19. The final point in the set for Cambridge was set up when Knight Andres de la Riva made an intrepid kick save to keep the ball in play.

      The second set was a much closer affair at the start. But Cambridge finally took charge at 10-7. One factor in the Knights favor was that they seemed able to handle the service of Jaguar Luis Peredo, who in other contests had been able to rack up long strings of points with his fireball delivery. Cambridge was able to get back many of even his hardest-hit balls, and then often won the serve back in the ensuing rallies.

     The Knights got some outstanding serving from Jorge Aliaga and strong net play by Daniel Kirigin and de la Riva. Masayoshi Ueno, though one of the shorter players on the court, showed he could both set for other players and jump up to hit high-speed returns on his own. 

     The Jaguars, in contrast, could never seem to get rolling, and with the score 20-15 in favor of the Knights a mix-up in the Jaguar backcourt ended up with one player accidentally kicking the ball in a teammate’s face. While the two quickly made amends, exchanging hugs, it seemed to unsettle the Jaguars, and the Knights quickly closed out the set, and the match, 25-16.

Griffins Defeat Eagles 2-0

Story to come...

Scoreboard for September 15th

Boys JV Soccer:

Cooperative 4, Christian Learning 1

International 3, Cambridge 1

Boys Varsity Soccer

Cooperative 5, Christian Learning 0

International 5, Cambridge 0

Girls JV Volleyball

Cooperative d. Christian Learning 2-1 (25-14, 22-25, 15-5)

International d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-11, 25-9)

Girls Varsity Volleyball

International d. Cambridge  2-0 (set score not available yet)

Cooperative d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-9. 25-7)

Stories to come...

Varsity Boys Soccer - September 15

Griffins Finish Off Knights 5-0
By Oscar Prudencio, SCIS

With the Griffins winning all of their previous games of the day, it was up to the varsity boys soccer team to complete the record on Thursday. The game started off well, with no problems and no delays. This made things for the International boys all the better as they scored the first goal in the first two minutes. Griffin Javier Garcia was the one who put the ball in the net. The Knights immediately set themselves to even the game. Despite the constant attacks by the Knights, a determined Griffin defense and goalie were able to handle the attack. But before the Griffins knew it, they were being overwhelmed by the Knights. The only thing that saved the Griffins from giving up a goal to the Knights was Griffin goalie Santiago Maldonado. For a while there was no real progress from either team. Both teams continued to spar with each other, neither gaining any real control of the ball. This soon changed when forward Javier Garcia evaded the Knights’ defense and scored his second goal for the team, setting the score at 2-0 for the Griffins. A short while later, Griffin Jose Eduardo Coloma scored the third Griffin goal. To finish the first half, Griffin Gary Suarez scored a fourth goal against Knights, bringing the score to 4-0.

The second half soon started, and ten minutes into it, Griffin forward Maykol Villavicencio scored an outstanding fifth goal for the Griffins. The organization of the Knights was failing, so they quickly changed to a much more aggressive approach. After several near misses, the Griffins picked up their defense and forced the Knights out of their strike zone, bombarding the Knight goalie, Andres Hurtado, in the process. Displaying great skill, he prevented the Griffins from scoring any more goals. The second half ended with the Griffins standing victorious not only in this particular game, but for all the Thursday games played at SCIS.

First Half Explosion By Jaguars Leads to 5-0 Win
By Ximena Fagan, SCCS

            The Cooperative varsity boys soccer team once again demonstrated their skills on the field by beating the well-regarded Christian Learning Eagles on the Jaguar field Thursday. After a tough game the final score ended at 5-0.

On this humid and warm afternoon, the Jaguars pulled out all the stops in order to beat the Eagles. The pumped up team exploded for three goals in about two minutes in the middle of the first half, with two of them coming within 30 seconds of one another.

The first player to score a goal was Josue Abuawad, who headed a well-placed pass from Nicolas Aguirre into the goal. Esteban Sauto scored the second goal right after the ensuing kickoff with his left foot after receiving a pass from Lorenzo Monasterio and breaking into the open. 

The third goal was scored no more than a minute later by Nicolas Cronenbold, who popped the ball over Christian Learning goalie Wesley Ordoñez.

After this short lapse in defense, the Eagles resumed playing harder than before and the game once again became a balanced match.

The Jaguars did get one more goal before the first half ended as Josue Abuawad brought the ball up to the Eagles goal once again. At this point one of the Eagle defenders was tripped up making it a one-on-one contest with the goalie. This was the second goal for Abuawad and the last goal of the first half.

            In the second half the Eagles captured the ball for most of the time and kept it on the Jaguars side. Even though there was significantly less scoring this half, the game was still very exciting, thanks to the cheering from both the Jaguar and Christian Learning supporters. 

“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! That’s the Jaguars battle cry!” chanted the Jaguar cheerleaders, and the Jaguar team was spurred on to score one more goal, making the score 5-0 before the referee blew the final whistle. Both teams appeared exhausted, but the Jaguars celebrated their third win in the season very proudly while Christian Learning’s record fell to 1-2. 

INSIDE THE GAME by Sebastian Vedia, Cooperative

 The key moment in last Thursday’s game was a dog that didn’t bark -- something that didn’t happen. It was the moment early in the first half, when the score was still 0-0, when the Eagles took a free kick that almost ended up in the goal, and would have if not for an outstanding effort by the Jaguar goalie.

      If it had gone in it would have energized the Eagles, who have the talent to be troublesome. Instead, without causing any real damage, it made the Jaguars realize that they could be losing this game if they didn’t step up their game. Before this the Jaguars were over-confident of their victory against the Eagles, causing them to play below their highest level. But after the free kick the Jaguars played with new determination. The defense tightened up. The midfield got into flow, completing many passes and moving the ball around. The forwards began to make good runs, get into open spaces, and ask for the ball.

     After the Jaguars went back to their normal style of play they scored three goals in less than five minutes. (Maybe much less; I didn’t check my watch.)  This killed the Eagles spirit. They were not as lively on the field and seemed to not care as much anymore. They wanted to sit back and defend a 3-0 loss, rather than try to come back into the Jaguars territory and take risks. The half ended quickly after the third goal, almost as if the referee was trying to stop the Jaguars from wreaking further mayhem upon the helpless Eagles.   

I was afraid that the Eagles would come out in the second half with a five-man defensive line with defensive-minded midfielders to shut us down, along with one forward trying to slip out into the Jaguar zone and give us a surprise. Instead they played their regular formation, which did not pose a problem for the reawakened Jaguars.  We got two more goals and the Eagles went home licking wounds from a 5-0 defeat.

JV Boys Soccer - September 15

JV Griffins Soar Past Knights 3-1
By Oscar Prudencio, SCIS

Cambridge defender Pablo Undurraga

attempts to block a Griffin shot.

Photo by Julia Boldt.

On Thursday the International JV boys soccer team played against the Cambridge JV boys. Both teams were desperate for a win to move up in the standings.

The game started off with the Griffins nearly scoring in the first minute, but the Knights’ defense managed to keep the Griffin attacks under control. From the start it was apparent that both teams were eager to take each other on. The Knights soon put the Griffins on their toes by constantly pounding their defense, attempting to gain the lead as soon as possible. The Griffin boys had to change strategy to push back the Knights, and they proceeded to go on a full scale attack against the Knights’ defense. The Griffin forwards made several scoring attempts and finally an outstanding goal was made by Griffin forward Jaime Berrenechea. This goal was followed by cheerful celebration, and not long after, another goal was scored for the Griffins, leaving the score at 2-0. The Knights continued their attack on the Griffins in order to even the score, but the skillful Griffin goalie was able to reject all shots. The Griffins make several substitutions in order to handle the constant attacks by the Knights. The first half ended with the Griffins up 2-0.

Leonardo Arges makes a long pass

for the Knights.

Photo by Julia Boldt.

As the second half started, it was clear that the Cambridge boys weren't willing to back down. They tried to stop the Griffins from getting near enough to score another goal. Both teams fought fiercely over dominance of the ball, and the Knights finally scored their first goal, leaving score at 2-1. However, soon after this goal was made, the Griffins came back with a third and final goal. Both teams kept playing for a few extra minutes, but in the end Griffins stood victorious, and the final score at 3-1.

Jaguar JV Outpaces Eagles 4-1
By Fernando Monasterio, SCCS

       The Cooperative junior varsity boys soccer team defeated Christian Learning 4-1 Thursday on the Jaguar field.

      In the first half, there wasn't anything but goals by Jaguars.  The first, by Richard Salvatierra, came off a corner kick.

    The next two were by Gabriel Romero. He got the first of these by dribbling the ball from the right corner toward the center, where he took his shot.

      For the second Romero took charge of a corner kick and then proceeded to dribble through three Christian Learning players.

     The fourth Jaguar goal came in the second half, starting with a pass from Richard Salvatierra to Jose Carlos Paz who took a shot from outside the penalty area and scored. A close try for a fifth goal came when Enzo Cambruzzi took a shot from the penalty area that hit the goal post and bounced out.

      The Eagles kept trying to fight back. A well kicked ball from mid-field was on target but Jaguar defender Matias Sequeiros intercepted it. Eagle Luke Phillips launched another long shot and this time the Jaguar defender let it get through and Juan Carlos Escudero put it in the goal to avert a shutout.

      The Jaguars had one more big chance, the first coming when Cambruzzi got a pass from Claudio Bedoya and got off a strong shot, but it was saved by the Eagle goalie. 

Varsity Girls Volleyball - September 15

Griffins Dominate Knights
By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

The International girls varsity volleyball team won their match against Cambridge in straight sets at their home court Thursday. The Griffins won the first set 25-11 and the second set 25-16.

The Griffins came out strong in the first set. Ciara Harriague scored three consecutive aces to yield a 4-1 Griffins lead. Then Maria Victoria Gutierrez scored four straight points to nab an 8-2 advantage and reached the first timeout. Out of the break, the Knights scored five aces from C. Tanaka closing the gap to 9-8, in favor of the Griffins. The Knights then began to storm back aggressively and finally came back to tie the set at 10-all. The Griffins, however, did not let the Knights to take the lead. With constant attacks from Maria Victoria Gutierrez, they widened the gap again to 22-11. At this point Ciara Harriague was serving for the International and she made three straight points with her serve to give the Griffins a victory 25-11.

Unlike the first set where Griffins’ victory seemed inevitable, the beginning of the second set was very close. Neither team was able to gain a lead of more than two points. But this time, the Knights were slightly ahead of the Griffins. The Knights took an early 3-1 lead. Soon the Griffins tied the score at 3-3 with two kills from Maria Victoria Gutierrez and one ace from Camila Johnson. However, Knights R. Pinto scored two consecutive kills and gave the lead back to the Cambridge, 5-3. The Griffins and Knights fought evenly as the score was tied at 5-5 and 6-6. When the score was tied at 6-6, however, the Griffins began to recover their stability, widening their lead. The Griffins enjoyed their lead until the Knights called a second timeout with the score at 17-11. After the timeout, the Griffins maintained their lead and continuously increased the score gap. Maria Victoria’s strong overhand serve finally gave Griffins a victory of 25-16.

Jaguars Beat Eagles With Little Difficulty

By Andrea Gutierrez, SCCS

The Cooperative varsity girls volleyball team defeated Christian Learning in an routine match, two sets to none, on the Cooperative court Thursday.

The Jaguars were excited to win this match, because they had lost the previous week to International and had been called in for extra practices at 5:30 in the morning.  Apparently these practices paid off, because in this match the Jaguars were unstoppable.

The Jaguars definitely started out on the right foot. Ana Paula Peredo began serving and won four straight points, and when it was the Eagles’ turn to serve, the ball hit the net, returning the ball to the Jaguars who continued to roll up the points. The set finished in a seemingly effortless 25-7 win for the home team.

The second set began similarly. Jaguar Carla Limpias was playing very well, demonstrating speed and accuracy while scoring multiple points. The Eagles were playing with less enthusiasm than the previous set, but still refused to give up. They placed their serves strategically, forcing the Jaguars to throw themselves onto the ground in order to save the ball – but time after time the serves were saved.

When it was Maria Jose Viacava´s turn to serve for the Cooperative team, she won ten points in a row before a rare miscommunication between teammates gave the Eagles another point setting the score at 12-2. The set ended 25-7, with Jaguars victorious.

Christian Learning’s crowd of supporters, which was much bigger than the home team’s, ended up cheering magnanimously for both teams as the players shook hands, displaying their good sportsmanship.

JV Girls Volleyball - September 15

Jaguarettes Strong Serves Finally Prevail

By David Boldt

     The Cooperative girls junior varsity volleyball team finally wrested a victory from a stubborn Christian Learning team two sets to one Thursday in the Jaguar gym.

      The Jaguars dominated the first set, winning 25-14, and got off to a strong start in the second set. After the Eagles had taken the first point, Jaguar Sabina Romero ripped through nine straight points, mostly on the strength of hard overhand serves the Eagles just couldn’t handle.

       But after that Christian Learning slowly began clawing its way back into the game. There was a huge rally with the score at 16-9 in favor of the Jaguars that the Eagles won, and which seemed to have a buoying effect on their spirits and fortunes.

     Gradually they closed the Cooperative lead to three points at 20-17, and then tied the game at 22-22. At that point Rebecca Escudero of the Eagles showed that it is not always the flame-throwing servers who win. Sometimes slow, steady, and accurate gets the job done. She served for the next three points to give the Eagles the set 25-22, and even the match at a set a piece.

      However, in the third and deciding set the momentum shifted back to the harder serving Cooperative girls. Again after spotting the Eagles a point, Romero had another run, taking the score up to 5-1 for the Jaguars.

      The Eagles clambered back to make the count 5-4, and it looked as if the third set might follow the pattern of the second. But then a second Jaguar fireballer, Paula Sakuma, went to the service line and ran the Cooperative advantage up to 12-4.

     The Eagles only got one more point before Natalia Medina, vying for most improved player on the Jaguar team, zipped in three more strong serves – the third a virtual ace that went ricocheting into the backcourt --  and secured the victory at 15-5. 

Griffins Beat Knights by a Landslide

By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

The International JV girls volleyball team scored a landslide victory over Cambridge. The Griffin girls won in straight sets at 25-11 and 25-9, respectively. This game was held at the International gym Thursday.

The Griffins took an early 5-1 lead in the opening set with three strong serves from Ciara Harriague. Then Pamela Suarez, a key attacker of International, notched consecutive kills to reach the first timeout, leading 9-3. Knight O. Nauallo’s steady attacks gave Cambridge several points but were not enough to overpower the big score margin. In the middle of the match, the Griffins Fabiana Zelada put up a block and Ciara Harriague followed with consecutive kills to push the score to 15-7. The Griffins maintained their lead up to 24-11. Ciara Harriague’s strong spike finally gave Griffins a victory of 25-11.

The momentum continued in the second set as the Griffins jumped out to an early lead of 13-3. Soon the Griffins increased their lead to 16-3 with three consecutive aces from Pamela Suarez, forcing the Knights to call a timeout. After the break, International team continued its dominance, never giving the Knights a chance to catch up. They maintained the big margin until the score reached 22-3. The Knights P. Oliva continuously attacked, but the Griffin advantage in consistency was too big to overcome. The Griffins won the second set 25-9.

Scoreboard for September 13th

Girls JV Soccer:

Cooperative 4, Christian Learning  0

International 4, Cambridge 0

Girls  Varsity Soccer

Cooperative 7, Christian Learning 2

International 3, Cambridge 0

Boys JV Volleyball

International d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-22, 25-21)

Cooperative d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-19. 25-15)

Boys Varsity Volleyball

International d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-7, 25-7)

Cooperative d. Christian Learning  2-0 (25-15. 25-13)

Stories to come...

Boys Varsity Volleyball - September 13

Griffins Easily Dispatch Knights

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

The International boys varsity volleyball team defeated the Cambridge team, taking both sets handily 25-7 Tuesday at the Griffin gym.

The International team dominated the Knights in the first set from start to finish. At the start of the first game, the Griffins sprinted out to a 7-2 lead on the serves of sophomore Eric Tacayama, forcing the Knights to call timeout. After trading a couple of serves, the Griffins struck again with four consecutive points to take a 15-4 lead. Griffin senior Juan Sebastian Narvaez played the most pivotal role in the match, leading the Griffin attack. As both an offensive and a defensive player, Narvaez showed not only excellent serves and unblockable spikes, but also stable and reliable digs. Francisco Gonzales, another outstanding Griffin attacker, had a very useful attack skill; he made several scores by aiming an empty spot or by tipping the ball over the net slightly. With a solid set of defensive skills from Santiago Maldonado and Eric Takayama, the Griffins made it much harder for the Knights to ever score on them. Playing what seemed to be almost error-free volleyball, the Griffins won the opening set 25-7.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

The second set started much like the first with the Griffins jumping out to a 9-2 lead with several kills from Juan Sebastian Narvaez and Francisco Gonzales. Throughout the second set, the Griffins seemed to be in near-perfect condition; they were enthusiastic in basic passing, blocking, spiking and even in simple conditioning such as running. The Knights also had good play from Marcio Baio and Gabriel Alonso in receiving the ball and making key saves, but couldn’t overcome the energetic Griffins. Finally the Griffins, with a solid base of overall skills, defeated the Knights 25-7.

Jaguars Return to Winning Ways Against Eagles

By Lucia Landivar, SCCS

      The Santa Cruz Cooperative School won the boys varsity volleyball game against the Christian Learning Center on Tuesday afternoon at the Jaguar home court. Cooperative Jaguars won both sets 25-15, and 25-17.

     A small crowd of Christian Learning students and parents, and a few Cooperative teachers, students, and cheerleaders were on hand. . The Jaguars wanted to prove that their game, and their fierceness, was still in them, even after their loss against the International team the week before. Both teams were hoping to win the game to move up in the standings.

      The Jaguars have been strong in volleyball in recent years, while the Eagles have struggled, and on this particular afternoon they were worried they wouldn’t have enough players to play this match: Still, they won against Cambridge College in their previous match.

     The first set started off with the Eagles serving, but they missed the point. After that, the Jaguars scored ten points straight, many coming on hard-hit returns from Nicolas Handal and strong spikes by Camilo Avila. Several Eagles collided and fell in a failed attempt to respond to one Avila spike.

      When the scoreboard showed Jaguar lead at 19-10, the Eagles clearly let their nerves get to them, and started making one mistake after another. Players were failing to respond to serves, cover spikes, or stay out of each other’s way. The Jaguars seemed to feed off the Eagles’ insecurity. They relaxed and played with increasing confidence. Josue Abuawad scored one of several Jaguar points by barely tapping the ball over the net by touching it slightly, dropping it into an uncovered spot.

      Regardless, Christian Learning had its moments. Cesar Flores managed a few great spikes, scoring points for the Eagles. Damon Janzen spiked the ball with great velocity when he got the chance, scoring another point for the Eagles.  But despite the Eagles’ efforts the Jaguar lead stretched to 25-14, at which point Nicolas Handal smacked the ball from the corner of the court directly down into the Eagle’s side of the court, taking the Eagles by surprise and scoring the winning point for the first set.

     Cooperative’s Avila started off the second set serving, and ripped off three points for the Jaguars before Flores threw himself to the ground to save the ball, scoring a point for the Eagles in the process. However, Christian Learning continued to have trouble responding to Jaguar serves while the Jaguars seemed to come up with one amazing play after another. At one point Cooperative senior Jorge Melgar was able to kick the ball backwards before it hit the ground, allowing a safe return.

      Cooperative seemed to be doing almost everything right, while the Christian Learning players seemed to have lost momentum, although they stayed enthusiastic. Cooperative led 16-5 at the second mandatory time out.  The Eagle coach encouraged her players, telling them to step up their game, but after  another sequence of Avila’s serves, and the Eagles’ failed attempts to respond to them, Cooperative had a commanding 20-7 lead.

     The Jaguars for their part were smiling and enjoying the match, full of confidence and laughter, while the Eagles were falling behind drastically.  Still the Eagles never lost their enthusiasm, and were still able to retaliate with the occasional scoring spike or fast serve.

     With the score at 24-10, Jesse Mann managed to score three straight points for the Eagles, making the score 24-13, before Jaguar’s  Jang Ho Cho smacked the ball with power, planting it into the Eagle’s side of the court, and performing the winning spike of the game. 

JV Boys Volleyball - September 13

Junior Jaguars win against Eagles

By David Boldt 

The Cooperative junior varsity boys volleyball team scored a 2-0 win in its match against Christian Learning in the Jaguars’ home gym Tuesday, taking the first set 25-19 and the second 25-15.

The decisive factor in the match was the serving of Jaguar Luis Peredo, whose overhand delivery sent ball across the net with an accuracy and force few varsity players can match.

The first set was all knotted up at 10-all the first time Peredo went to the service line. When he finished Cooperative was ahead 15-10, holding the lead it would basically maintain until the end of the set.

In the second set the Eagles actually got out to a slight lead at the outset, 2-1, before Peredo went to work again. This time he ran off seven straight points to put Cooperative in the lead 8-2.

The Eagles got the game back to a three-point margin at 11-8 with some fine serving by Claudio Sandoval ably abetted by outstanding net play from Luke Phillips, who played well throughout the match.

But the Jaguars then sprinted ahead again, and this seemed to break the Eagles spirit. The game was never again close.

The Eagles did get a small measure of revenge against Peredo on his last service turn, which occurred with the score 24-14 in the Jaguars’ favor. This time an intrepid diving return by a diminutive Eagle sent Peredo’s serve back across the net as fast as it had arrived, for a winner.

However, the Jaguars took the next point on the Eagles’ serve to close out the set and the match, 25-15.  

Griffins Beat Knights In Straight Sets

By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

The International JV boys volleyball team chalked up a straight sets victory over Cambridge in a match played at the Griffins gym Tuesday. After falling behind in the opening set, the Cambridge boys were never able to recover and conceded losses of 25-23 and 25-21, respectively.

The first set was a back and forth battle with the Knights fighting out to a 5-4 lead before Jose Luis of International took the serve for the Griffins. Jose drove the Griffins ahead with four aces, beginning an 8-5 point run. After taking the lead, the Griffins steadily maintained their dominance; the Knights once clawed back to tie the score at 12-12, but the Griffins soon extended their advantage, enjoying leads of 15-12, 16-13, 18-14 and 20-15. The Knights would not recover the margin and the Griffins took the first game 25-22.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

The Griffins won largely on the strong right arms of Jose Luis and Juan Narvaez, whose strong spikes and reliable digs were the key to International's dominance in the match. German Ferrari and Arturo Battientos also played a big part in shutting down the Knights. The standouts for Cambridge were Santiago Hortado, who led the solid front offense with a constant spiking, and Percy Vidal, who displayed excellent serves.

The second set was extremely close as the score tied 6 times; 2-2, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12 and 13-13. However the Griffins soon moved out to a 15-13 lead from two aces from Christian Magargo, and then began to build on the advantage. They continued to hold that momentum during the rest of the second set, in which they never trailed. International maintained their momentum up to 24-19, but had a little trouble closing the door. The game featured many long rallies and intrepid retrievals by both sides. The Knights almost caught up the Griffins at 24-21, but a strong spike from Griffin Arturo Barrientos finally gave Griffins a victory of 25-21.

Varsity Girls Soccer - September 13

Griffins Overwhelm Knights 3-0
By Oscar Prudencio, SCIS

Photo by Julia Boldt.

        After having been defeated by the Jaguars 8-0 a week before, the SCIS girls varsity soccer team made an outstanding return. They won their game on Tuesday 3-0 against the Cambridge girls team.

Both teams started strong, energetic and ready to win. The Knights started with a constant attack on the Griffins, but their strong and reliable defense saved the Griffins from the fierce attack. The Lady Knights nearly scored, but the Griffins kept them scoreless with strong defense. After a foul made by the Knights, the Griffins were given a penalty shot, where Marina Roca scored their first goal. After this first goal, the Griffins seemed to pick up initiative and they immediately began to play more aggressively. The first half soon ended with the Griffins in the lead.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

In the second half, the temperature was high, but this did not stop either team from playing well. The Knights started out again with a highly aggressive attack on the Griffins, nearly missing a chance to score, but the score remained unchanged. Both team battled each other for dominance of the ball, and for a while it went from one side of the field to the other, neither team willing to give in to the pressure. Out of nowhere came a net-splitting goal from Griffin Carolina Baldivieso, changing the score to 2-0. After this score, the Lady Knights went full steam ahead and pounded the Griffin's defense constantly. The Griffin goalie and defense did all they could to stop the Knights from evening the score.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

As the end of the game neared, both teams, now feeling the effects of the heat and humidity, were still battling it out aggressively. The Knights made several attempts to even the score out, but it wasn't enough as they also had to stop the Griffin offense from scoring once again. Suddenly, Griffin Maria Victoria Gutierrez stampeded through the Knights’ defense and scored the third and final goal for the Griffins. The final score was 3-0, with the Griffins making a strong comeback from their loss last week.

Jaguars Defeat Eagles 7-2
By Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative

     The Cooperative girls varsity soccer team continued its winning streak, now in its fourth year, with a 7-2 win over Christian Learning on the Jaguars home field Tuesday, but saw their unscored-upon claim for the current season terminated. 

       The Jaguar girls started off strong with Tania Landivar scoring an early goal. After Jaguar forward Fernanda Vaca Diez, playing opposite Landivar,  had taken a shot, the Eagle goalie kicked the ball out softly enough for Landivar to intercept it and score a goal.

       Four minutes later, Landivar scored again, establishing  Jaguar dominance on the field with a 2-0 lead-.

       The Eagles’ defense was soon composed of five and sometimes six players to stop the Jaguars, who aided the defense by missing several shots that could have put them on the lead by four goals.

      The Jaguar defense, led by seniors Ana Peredo and Carla Limpias, stopped the first three Eagle efforts to go over to the attack at mid-field. But ten minutes after the game had started, eighth grader Emily Ordoñez from Christian Learning Center scored a goal by placing the ball perfectly on the middle top of the Jaguar goal. This was the first goal scored on the Jaguars since the beginning of the season. 

       The Eagles spirits rose and so did the energy they put into the game. The Eagle crowd was exuberant and transmitted its collective hopes for an upset to their team.

          However, Jaguar Giovanna Varalta pulled the Eagles back to earth by heading in a goal on a Vaca Diez corner kick, and three minutes later Vaca Diez scored herself  with a ball that went straight to the top right corner of the Eagle`s goal. The first half closed with the Jaguars in the lead 4-1. 

          The Jaguars continued in charge at the beginning of the second half, when freshman Maria Paula Aguirre and sophomore Giovanna Varalta both scored goals.

        Interestingly, instead of demoralizing the Eagles this seemed to give them new energy, and they started shooting more. Eagle Abby Phillips missed what looked like a sure goal when she was alone with Jaguar goalie Cristiani Zurita. Apparently stung by this event, Phillips didn’t miss her second opportunity a short while later, making it 6-2. 

      The Eagles had one more good opportunity that was thwarted before Landivar retailiated by kicking in a goal on another precisely placed Vaca Diez corner kick. The game thus ended in a 7-2 win for the Jaguars, enough to keep them in the lead -- but with their record slightly tarnished by the Eagles two goals. .

JV Girls Soccer - September 13

Junior Jaguars overcome Eagles 4-0

By Manuel Saavedra, SCCS

     The Cooperative girls junior varsity soccer team defeated Christian Learning 4-0 on

Tuesday afternoon at the Jaguar home field before a smaller-than-expected crowd.

     At the beginning of the game, it was clear that the Jaguars were dominating in ball possession. Minutes after the start of the game, forward Camila Messmer scored the first goal of the game after exploiting a misunderstanding in the Eagle defense.

     The Jaguars kept showing the good teamwork they’ve been performing lately by moving the ball from side to side, looking for open spaces in which to push in.

      Suddenly, on a play that started from the left side of the field, Monica Montenegro scored to make it 2-0 for the Jaguars. This brought the first half to an end.

     In the second half, the Eagle forwards were showing their ability with some plays through their right side, but they didn’t have any chance to score due to the well-organized Jaguar defense that neutralized any dangerous attacks.

     Paula Sakuma, a Jaguar, showed her skill by intruding near the Eagles goal several times with accurate passes that, unfortunately for the Jaguars, fell narrowly short of success.

     Then, unexpectedly, the Jaguar midfield performed a rapid counter-attack that disorganized the Eagle defense. Michelle Lederman, who entered the game in the second half, was able to score the third goal after receiving a pass made by Alexandra Cadario that left Lederman in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.

     In the last minutes of the game, Cadario executed a corner that, after several rebounds ended up inside the Eagles’ goal to finish the game at 4-0.

Griffin JV shuts out Knights 4-0

Photo by Julia Boldt.

By Alejandro Marinaro, CC

     The International girls junior varsity soccer team defeated Cambridge 4-0 on their home field Tuesday afternoon.

      The scoring started early. Only a few seconds after the game began, the first International goal was made by Fabiana Zelada.  A few minutes later, Griffin Mariana Roca scored another goal.

     The Knight goalkeeper Barbara Black made a nice save on a shot by Maria Gutierrez, but a short while later Gutierrez got another chance and this time she didn’t miss, scoring International’s third goal, completing the scoring in the first half.

     In the second half Gutierrez added yet another goal for the Griffins. The game ended 4-0 with the Griffins on top.