JV Boys Soccer Championship

JV Griffins Defeat Jaguars for 1st Place
By Andrea Gutierrez

The Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League´s final for JV boys soccer took place Thursday afternoon between Santa Cruz Cooperative School and Santa Cruz International School and proved to be extremely entertaining, as the trophy went to the Griffins who won 2-0 as guests in a close. Hard-fought gamne on the Jaguar´s field.

 Both teams were very nervous at the start. The Jaguars had lost against the Griffins  in their previous match and feared losing  again, while the Griffins wanted to prove that their v ictory inn  that previous encounter wasn´t a strike of luck. 

It is possible to say that the first half of the game was dominated by the Griffins who had control of the ball most of the time and several opportunities o score. A couple of minutes after the whistle was blown, Simon Morón managed to find a way through the Jaguar’s defense and un leashed a dangerous shot toward the goal, but Jaguar goalie, Luis Esteban Peredo intervened, preventing a goal.

On the other hand, the Jaguars couldn´t attack effectively because of the strong middle field their rivals had. Griffin Mateo Suarez permit Cooperative to take the ball up his side of the field:  He was agile and quick, and was able to take the ball away for his team. Shortly, before the second half, Morón aimed for a goal for the second time but this time he succeeded, placing the Griffins on top 1-0.

This didn´t end the first half though, as the Griffins and Jaguars continued battling evenly.  

The second half was even more exciting and nerve-racking than the first one. Both Cooperative and International teams tried to score several times so the SCIS goalie, Octavio Limpias, had more action than before, even though with 20 minutes remaining he changed spots with International´s back-up goalie in an apparent effort to put more spark in  the Griffin offense

. Meanwhile Griffins Morón and Daniel Hanley seemed to be full of confidence that day because they had several close encounters with the Jaguars’ arc, and even though they missed, they made a second goal for the Griffins look like a distinct possibility. More of a possibility, say, than a Jaguar goal.

But when the Griffin goal finally occurred it was on a high, bounding free kick by Lucas Zerlaya that seemed to confuse goalie Peredo, who placed himself between bounces allowing the ball to over his head and into the goal.

Cooperative didn’t give up.  Jose Carlos Paz was quick on the field and a definite threat to the International defense and goalie, but the goals never came true and the game ended with Santa Cruz International School ahead 2-0, and ready to accept their awards as the JV boy soccer Interscholastic League champions.

The Griffins cheered happily jumping up and down in a circle with their arms wrapped around each other. They had brought a big crowd that had supported them throughout the game that was composed of family members, classmates, and teachers; t while the Jaguar fans were far fewer in number (but filled with tons of spirit)

. Afterwards, the Most Valuable Players were announced which included Gabriel Rosas and Enzo Cambruzzi for the Cooperative team, and Mateo Suarez and Daniel Hanley from the International team. Both sides got their medals, and the 2011 champions smiled proudly as pictures were taken of them with the trophy in hand.
      The team list for the champion Griffins was Octavio Limpias, Suarez, Cristian Magarzu, Lucas Zelaya, Jorge Ortiz, Danny Hanley, Liam Hanley, Jose Ciaroni, Jaimer Barrenechea. Simon Moron, Juan Velazco, German Ferraris, Carlos Nuñez, Leonardo Melgar, Armando Saavedra, Diego Vargas, Juan Pablo Nuñez, and Francisco Montaño.
     For the Jaguars: Peredo, Matias Saquairo, Gabrierl Rosas, Enzo Cambruzzi, Claudio Bedoya, Gabriel Romero, Felipe Gasparalli, Richard Salvatierra, Jose Carlos Paz, Tomas Yeatts. 


Cambridge Triumphs 1-0 in Consolation Game
By David Boldt

  The Cambridge junior varsity boys soccer team defeated Christian Learning 1-0 in the consolation game of the playoffs to gain bragging rights to third place.

     The game, played in searing heat, started with Christian Learning seeming to have the better opportunities to score. The Little Eagles got off too close range shots that missed. Cambridge put a couple of shots on goal, but they presented no real challenge for Eagle goalkeeper Jose Luis Escudero.

     Cambridge’s passes up the middle of the field misconnected several times, giving the ball to the Eagles in good field position. The Knights problems were compounded by the fact that their usually sure-handed goalie, Sebastian Carrasco, seemed to have a case of the “fumbles” and let the ball get loose around the goal several times.

     But Cambridge emerged from these vicissitudes unscathed and Knight captain Mauricio Soto personally took the ball down field and fired an excellent crossing pass, but no one was there to get it. Soto then took a shot himself but missed to the left.

    Not long after Cambridge had a big opportunity with Eagle goalie Escudero lying on the ground after diving to make a save, and the ball bouncing around loose, but the Knights weren’t able to capitalize on it.

    Finally Knight Daniel Kirigin broke away from a pack and put a shot in the net that would prove to be the only goal of the game. He would get another opportunity of a similar sort a few moments later, but missed narrowly as the half came to a close. .

     In the second half the heat seemed to really get to the players, and neither team was able to make a play that would get the crowd cheering. Cambridge seemed to go into defensive mode to protect its lead, keeping Soto back on defense.

     A rare moment of excitement occurred when little sixth grader Hernan Virreira of the Eagles beat Soto in a duel in  the corner of the field and headed off toward the goal,  but was detained from behind. But the action occurred well outside the penalty box and the resulting free kick missed.

     During the postgame award ceremony “most valuable player” certificates were given to Soto and Pablo Underraga of the Knights and to Andres Cruz and Luke Phillips of the Eagles.

     The Cambridge line-up included Percy Vidal, Santiago Melgar, Percy Justiniano, Carrasco, Soto, Marco Ovando, Kirigin, Leonardo Arges, and Santiago Hurtado.

     For Christian Learning: Hwa Pyung Lim. Phillips, Abashai Nutt, Bryan Lara, Escudero, Jose Daniel Gentili, Virreira, Cruz, Santriago Cespedes, Zac Frith, Nicolas Villafan, Leonardo Netzlaff, Jonathan Wry, Luke Hwangbo, Escudero, Samuel Ortiz, and Mauricio Cortez.               

JV Girls Soccer Championship

Cooperative Girls Take Junior Varsity Crown
By David Boldt

     The Cooperative girls junior varsity soccer team defeated International 2-1 in the championship game played Thursday on the Jaguars’ field, thanks to two second half goals by Michelle Lederman.

      The two teams fought to a scoreless draw in the first half, with neither side being able to threaten seriously. About the only excitement was a free kick by International that Cooperative goalie Sophia Gonzalez had to kick save. Then a little while later, Cooperative passed the ball back and forth in front of an open International net, but no one appeared to convert the opportunity into a goal.

     In the second half International threatened first, getting off a shot that Gonzalez was again only able to thwart with a kick save, and the ball was loose momentarily in front of an open net. However, just as in the case with the Cooperative near miss in the first half, no Griffin was able to get there in time to put the ball in the goal.

     Moments later Lederman got loose for a shot of the International goal, and this one went in, ending the scoring drought, and putting Cooperative ahead 1-0.

      International got a breakaway on the Cooperative goal following that, but Gonzalez, who had an outstanding day, was again up to making the stop.

      After an interlude of routine action up and down the field, Lederman and teammate Giulianna Varalta broke loose with the ball at midfield and closed in on International goalie Maria Isabel Alexander, who wasn’t having that bad a day herself.

      But his time she was caught in an insoluble dilemma. If she went after Lederman Lederman could easily flick the ball to Varalta on her left, who would have an open goal to shoot at. Alexander stayed put. Lederman kept the ball and smacked into the side of the goal.

      The Griffins nearly got back in the game with a breakaway of their own, but with the Griffin attacker seemingly about to run the ball all the way into the goal Gonzalez rose to the occasion again, knocking the ball to the side with a slide tackle.

      She hurt her leg in the process and had to be helped off the field. Andrea Chavez was put in the goal to replace her, and was immediately tested by the Griffins, but she proved up to the task.

       The Cooperative shutout remained intact until the final seconds of the game when Mariana Roca was awarded a free kick from midfield. The kick seemed to pose so slight a threat that Cooperative didn’t even bother to assemble a wall. Roca’s powerful kick, however, reached the goal, bouncing off the left post. Fernanda Gutierrez controlled the rebound and knocked it into the net, making the final score 2-1 for the Jaguars.

    In postgame ceremonies, “most valuable player” certificates were awarded to Ledmann amd Maureen Harrison of the Jaguars, and to Ciara Harriague and Roca of the Griffins.

      The line-upo for the victorious Griffins consisted of Gonzalez, Isabella Peña, Harrison, Maria Fwrnanda Soria, Romina Richter, Fabiana Peñaranda, Alexandra Cadario, Chavez, Paula Sakuma, Francesca Colanzi, Camila Messmer, Monica Montenegro, Lederman, Naira Rodriguez, Varalta, and Ana Reyes.

     The line-up for the Griffins was Alexander, Pamela Suarez, Anahi Ibañez, Mariela Saavedra, Edwarda Casconetto, Harriague, Carolina Aguilera, Roca, Fabiana Zelada, Ainara Moreno, Sofia Sciaroni, Quimey Ciarlantini.          

Eagles Win Shootout After 0-0 Tie With Knights

By Larissa M. Dagnoni, SCCS

     Christian Learning Center played Cambridge College to a 0-0 tie in regulation time on a really hot Thursday afternoon at Cooperative, and then won the penalty shootout 3-1 to get third place medals.

     The sun was shining very brightly in the sky when the clock struck  2 and the game started. The Eagles started strongly, and during the first ten 10 minutes of  the game all the cheers were going to Eagles Emily Ordoñez and Shekinah Miranda as they fired shot after shot.

     Luckily for the Knights they had on their team goalie Renata Pinto who was able to handle the shots that didn’t go wide. Defender Mako Ueno was also able to make it a little tricky for the Eagle players to get too close to the goal.  Lady Knight Amaya Yañez also helped keep things from getting out of control. 

     Even though both teams were playing with a great enthusiasm, the heat and the really strong sun were clearly making it hard for the junior varsity girls to keep going. The Eagle girls came closest to scoring, but the play became so even that it was hard to tell who would take home the third place medals. The first half ended with no goals on the scoreboard.

     After drinking water and having a talk with coaches, the second half started strong, with both teams seeming to recover their energy and now running non-stop. The intensity of the competition was visible, and players were going “all out’’ during the game. Both teams had chances of scoring, but the game ended still with no goals in the score board.

     The game then went to penalties. The Eagles started off and Isabela Diaz scored the first point for them, followed by Cambridge goalie Pinto who also scored. The next two shooters both missed, but when Eagle Emily Ordoñez stepped up to kick the ball and scored, the Eagle team looked confident about winning this game.

     Sure enough, Cambridge missed its next two kicks, and when Rebeca Escudero scored the third point for the Eagles guaranteeing them the win, the only noise that you heard was the big scream of the Eagle team celebrating the victory.

     In the award ceremony, Eagle players Ordoñez and Luana Velarde took home not only the third place medals, but also the Most Value Player diplomas. Cambridge players Pinto and Yañez got the MVP diplomas for Cambridge.

     The line-up for the champion Eagles was comprised of  Ordonez, Velarde, Diaz, Eva Brown,  Ada Ribeiro, Rebeca Escudero, Tamara Vargas, Veronica Apodaca, Shekinah Miranda, Iza Jardim, Elisa Kabernick, Clara Flores, and Teresa Janzen,

     The line-up for Cambridge was Amaya Yañez, Nicole Fermin,  Ueno, Isadora Santos, Kamila Riveros, Valentina Leiva, Silvana Alegria, Fabiana Carrasco, Virginia Zozzoli, Claire Montaño,  Dianny Hollweg, Carolina Ovando, Barbara Black, Ariana Vidal, and Pinto,

JV Soccer Final Results - October 27

JV Boys Soccer

Championship: International 2, Cooperative 0

3rd place: Cambridge 1, Christian Learning 0

JV Girls Volleyball

Championship: Cooperative 2, International 1

3rd place: Christian Learning 0, Cambridge 0 (Christian Learning won shooutout 3-1)

JV Boys Volleyball Championships

Griffins Soundly Defeat Jaguars for Championship Title
By Jesse Mann

        The International JV boys decisively defeated the Jaguars today with a brilliant display of teamwork that ultimately earned them a first-place trophy. The Jaguars were quickly overwhelmed in two sets, victims of an impressive Griffin onslaught that included blistering spikes and a steady, aggressive serving accuracy. The first set saw the Griffins immediately rack up a firm 13-7 lead, resulting from several hard spikes by José Luis Sciaroni and Christian Jorge. Jaguar Raul Valle responded with four harsh serves hurled over the net at the Griffins that brought the Jaguars back into the game, down by just 2 points at 13-11.  Sensing a threat, the Griffins pulled it together and effectively buried the Jaguars in a stunning scoring streak that ended the first set 25-13.  

        The second set got off to a slow start as both teams methodically traded points until Griffin Juan Carlos Narvaez stepped up to the back line to serve for the Griffins. The result was a incredible ten point serving explosion that put the Griffins ahead 14-4. This ten point gap spelled doom for the Jaguars, who managed to put only ten more points on the board before the Griffins finished them off 25-14. To celebrate their wins in both boys and girls JV volleyball, the Griffins proceeded to empty the contents of the team's contents onto their talented coach.

Knights Squeeze Past Eagles for 3rd Place

By Larissa M. Dagnoni

The Cambridge boys junior varsity defeated Christian Learning Tuesday afternoon at International, winning the first set 25-23 and the second 25-15. Cambridge thus gets bragging rights to third place, The Eagles, despite having played their best game of the year, were consigned to fourth.

The game started with the Eagles crowd cheering very loudly, but Cambridge didn’t let the cacophony in the stands distract them, and they scored the five first points in the game. Eagle players were not playing badly; it just seemed that they couldn’t handle the attacks from the Knights.

 Both teams were backing up teammates, and everyone was playing with a great attitude. Cambridge kept scoring through the first set, and they had the lead most of the time, but suddenly the Eagles put on a closing surge, and the score of the game was 23-22.

 The Eagle team had stepped their game up, and with the attacks of Claudio Sandoval, they surely scared and made the Cambridge defense more worried. Cambridge just needed two points to close the first set, but the Eagles were not giving it away easily.

 It seemed that the Eagle team was going to win, because suddenly the Knights defense started to miss, and attacks from the other side started to come on strong. But the Knights didn’t give up easily either and the first set finally ended 25-23 for Cambridge.

The second set started with even more tension than the first one. On one side was the Christian Learning team that wanted a chance to tie the match up and go to a third set, and on the other side was the Cambridge team that wanted to win the set, take the match, and go home.

 Cambridge started the game by scoring the first point, but right after the Eagle team got a point. It seemed that the Christian Learning team didn’t let the first set score get to them, because they were attacking the ball without restraint, and getting each and every point they could.

Great defense from Eagle Jadon Kabernick helped the Eagle cause, and even after the Knights were winning 16-11 it was really noticeable that the Eagles were working doubly hard during this set.

Teamwork from Knights Santiago Hurtado and Daniel Kirigin helped the score take off in the Knights favor 24-15. The last point was very hard to get for the Knights but finally after a long rally Alvaro Ueno set up Carlos Rea to score the winning point, and the set ended 25-15.

It was a great game for both teams, and a well deserved win for the Knights. 

JV Girls Volleyball Championships

Griffins Overwhelm Jaguars to Earn 1st Place
By Sung Eun Song

The Santa Cruz International School JV girls volleyball team earned an overwhelming victory over the Cooperative team in the championship game held at the International gym on Tuesday; the Griffins chalked up a straight sets victory 25-14, 25-17. The International team preserved its perfect season, maintaining their unbeaten record. They showed all the capacity and passion that anyone would expect of a champion.

In the beginning of the opening set, the two teams had battled evenly, fighting each other point-by-point. From the very beginning of the match, Griffins Ciara Harriague and Pamela Suarez attempted several strong attacks to get the drop on the Jaguars. But the Jaguars also stayed alert with Flavia Gutierrez scoring consecutive two service aces. The game proceeded like this with teams taking turns in the lead. But after the score had reached 6-6, the Griffins exploded with an 11-point scoring streak, widening the gap to 17-6.

There was no doubt that both the Griffins and Jaguars showed superb and powerful play throughout the game. They both had strong attackers who repeatedly fired unblockable spikes and amazing serves with intense power. Therefore, in this championship game, what put one team above the other was not the power but the delicacy. And the Griffin girls’ attention to detail put them ahead..

In the middle of the first set, there was one breathtaking moment performed by the Griffins when one of the Jaguars smashed a strong spike towards the backward of the Griffins side. The ball nearly hit the ground, but Fernanda Gutierrez narrowly kept it alive, lunging to the floor in her effort to reach it. Then Camila Barrientos, who was right next to Fernanda, urgently hit the ball at maximum power toward Ciara Harriague, who was near the net but on the floor. Dramatically, Harriague, still in her fallen position, hit the ball hard up towards the net. To her surprise, the ball slipped over to the Cooperative side of the net. The audience applauded the amazing teamwork of the Griffin girls, and the energized Griffins were able to maintain their lead for the rest of the game. Finally, after a ball handling error by a Jaguar, the Griffin girls took advantage of the moment and went on to win the set 25-17.

For the Griffins, the game spotlighted the new appearance of Camila Barrientos, a small girl who revealed her hidden playing capacity. Despite her small frame, Camila greatly contributed to the Griffins victory, displaying both persistency and concentration. She made several important digs as well as multiple accurate attacks.

In the second set, the Griffin girls changed the tide once again with a shift to a more aggressive play style. With momentum on their side, the Griffins bolted out an early 11-0 lead; the service aces from Ciara Harriague accounted for six of these eleven points. The Jaguars then began to claw their way back. Fabiana Andrade attempted several spikes, connecting some of them to scores for Jaguars. She also made a point from a service ace. Another Jaguar standout was Andrea Chavez, who consistently blocked the Griffins’ strong spikes. Maintaining steady position, Andrea made many saves, providing Jaguars with opportunities to attack. However, they could not overcome the stellar defensive efforts made by Griffins. Finally, the Griffins ended the second set 25-17 to clinch the match and take the championship trophy.

Eagles Defeat Knights for 3rd Place Finish
By Larissa M. Dagnoni

Christian Learning girls junior varsity volleyball team defeated Cambridge Tuesday afternoon at International, winning both sets by a score of 25-15, and thereby achieving third place in the League.

This was a decisive game, because both teams were playing to win a medal.  The Eagle girls started the game with a big cheering scream, pumping up the crowd present at the gym, which was made up mainly of Christian Learning parents and friends. The Knight girls in the other hand seemed like they were a bit abashed and withdrawn, and were not showing much of an attitude at the beginning of the game.

The first point of the set was scored by Cambridge player Carla Rea, but the Eagles didn't let the enthusiasm of scoring the first point carry the Knights too far. They responded right away, and quickly got a couple of points ahead. The Eagles were playing with their ‘‘head in the game'' and seemed that the word losing was not in their vocabulary.

 When Eagle player LuanaVelarde stepped to serve the ball, point after point was scored for the Eagles. She was a big girl and was hitting strong and accurate shots. Her service was a key element the Eagles needed to win first set by a ten-point advantage, 25-15.

 The second set continued the same pattern.  The Eagles scored the first 3 points straight up, but it seemed that the lady Knights, after Coach Eduardo “Presi” de la Riva talked to them during a timeout started to communicate better and move around the court. They played better compared to the first set.

The new Cambridge attitude changed the complexion of the game, which was tied up for a while. But the pattern of the match was set. It could almost be predicted that this game already had a winning team, and it wouldn’t be Cambridge. . Great teamwork from Eagles Velarde, and Emily Ordoñez helped the Eagles get the points they needed to win. The final score was again 25-15.

 Christian Learning JV volleyball girls won the well-deserved third place on the league. Congratulations to coach Misty Lopez and her team.

After the game ended medals were giving to the winning team and diplomas recognizing Cambridge players Paola Oliva and Denisse Navallo as “valuable players” were given.

JV Volleyball Final Results

JV Boys Volleyball

Championship: International d. Cooperative, 2-0

3rd place: Cambridge d. Christian Learning, 2-0 (25-23, 25-15)

JV Girls Volleyball

Championship: International d. Cooperative, 2-0

3rd place: Christian Learning d. Cambridge, 2-0 (25-15, 25-15)


Stories to come...

JV Finals Schedule

JV Volleyball Finals at SCIS

Tuesday, October 25^th, 2011

2:00 CLC vs CC Girls

3:00 CLC vs CC Boys

4:00 SCCS vs SCIS Girls

5:00 SCCS vs SCIS Boys

JV Soccer Finals at SCCS

Thursday, October 27^th, 2011

2:00 CLC vs CC Girls

3:00 CLC vs CC Girls Boys

4:00 SCCS vs SCIS Girls

5:00 SCCS vs SCIS Boys

JV Soccer Semifinals - Scoreboard for October 24

JV Boys Soccer

International 4, Christian Learning 1

Cooperative 1, Cambridge 0

JV Girls Soccer

International 2, Christian Learning 2 (International won shootout 4-3)

Cooperative 2, Cambridge 0

JV Soccer Semifinals

Jaguar, Griffin JVs prevail again


By Larissa Dagnoni, Santiago Melgar and David Boldt

    The International and Cooperative junior varsity soccer teams mimicked the success of their schools’ varsities as they pushed on through their semifinal round Monday and will meet in the championship games Thursday.

     But it wasn’t all that easy.


Griffin girls squeak through via shootout

     The International girls team had perhaps the toughest time. They trailed Christian Learning for most of their semifinal, tying the game at 2-2 only in the closing minutes.

     And then they were behind 3-2 in the shootout, but blocked the Eagles last two shots, while making good on their two remaining opportunities, to win the shootout 4-3.

      Eagle Emily Ordoñez´s goal had given the Eagles a 1-0 halftime lead. The game was tied at 1-1 when Mariana Roca made good on a penalty shot, but an artful shot by Eva Brown put the Eagles back on top 2-1 with time running down.

      But the Griffins counterattacked ferociously and kept the ball in the Eagles end for most of the closing phase of the game, launching shot after shot at the increasingly embattled Eagle goalkeeper, Luana Velarde.

     She repelled them all until Fabiana Zelada somehow got loose for a clear shot on goal from the right side, and put an almost perfect shot into the upper corner of the near side of the goal to tie the score and force a penalty shootout to decide who would make it to the finals.

      The first three Eagles put the ball into the net, as did the first two Griffins. But the third Griffin attempt was blocked by Velarde, seemingly putting her team in the driver’s seat, 3-2.

     But now it was the turn on the Griffin goalie, Maria Isabel Alexander, to come up big. The last two Eagle shooters gave her shots she could handle – and she handled them. Meanwhile, the last two Griffins made good on their shots.

     The Griffins who made their shots were Roca, Sofia Sciaroni, Pamela Suarez, and Ciara Harriague. The successful shooters for the Eagles were Isabela Diaz, Ada Ribeira and Ordoñez.


Jaguar girls win on two late goals 

     The Jaguar girls, for their part, did not exactly have an easy time of it against Cambridge. Not a single goal appeared on the scoreboard during the first half of the game, the start of which was delayed while primary school teams from Cooperative and International finished their games. 

Cambridge defender tries to clear the ball past teammate and
lurking Jaguar -- Julia Boldt

       Through most of the first half the the Jaguars kept attacking, but bthe Knight defense wasn't letting them penetrate close enough to score.  The Jaguars did get off two shots on goal,  but Cambridge goalie Renata Pinto was catching every ball that came her way.  
       Cambridge got a chance to score when Amaya Yañez passed the ball to Isadora Santos in the middle of the field, but Santos missed. 
       The second half started as a continuation of the first half. Jaguars Michelle Lederman and Alexandra Cadario kept kicking balls at the Cambridge goal, but all were going wide. For Cambridge, Yañez and Santos took the ball into the Cooperative end several times, but weren't able to score either. 
       Finally the Jaguars got the first goal, as they had in the previous game between the two teams. The goal was scored by Andrea Chavez, and as in the last game it seemed to cause the Cambridge players to lose the will to win.
     Alexandra Cadario then scored an insurance goal for the Jaguars, making the final score 2-0. 

Jaguar boys prevail against Knights 1-0    

      The Jaguar boys had it even tougher than the girls team, prevailing by a single goal, 1-0. Cambridge was the first to threaten, completing a sequence of passes that ended with Mauricio Soto getting the ball a little too far in front of Horacio Morales, allowing Jaguar goalkeeper Luis Peredo to scoop up the ball. (Peredo's fine play throughout the game in shutting out the Knights wins him the "Miracle Hands" award.)
      Cambridge continued the same pattern of attack, trying to get the ball to Morales in scoring position and either just missing connections, or being thwarted by Peredo. Both teams made a series of great defensive plays. 

Cambridge captain Maricio Soto tries again to get
loose and even the score -- Julia Boldt

      Cooperative got its first big chance to score in the 22nd minute of the first half on  a neatly executed play in which Peredo's kick went to Ian Peña, who carried it upfield and gifted it to Gabriel Romero, who got off a shot that Cambridge goalie Sebastian Carrasco punches off to the side.
     But the danger didn't pass. Jaguar Fernando Viacava now emerged from the shadows with the ball (the lights are now on) and shot to kill. Goalie Carrasco had no chance on this one, and an effort to head it off by defender Daniel Kirigin proved useless as the ball went into the right hand corner of the goal. The schoolyard echoed with the applause and screams for Viacava.
       The game was far from over, and the closing minutes of the first half were consumed by Cambridge's continuing efforts to find a way to get the ball past Peredo.The Knights got a free kick with little time remaining.
       The Jaguars stopped the scoring effort following Soto's kick by knocking the ball over the end line, which resulted in a Cambridge corner kick by Gabriel Rosas that Leonardo Arges controled in front of the right side of the Jaguar goal. Seeing his path blocked by Peredo (among others) Arges tried to kick the ball across to where Kirigin was charging in on the left. Kirigin arrived on schedule but his kick missed wide as the half ended. 
       The second half started with Jaguar Romero faking his way past Percy Justiniano, but Pablo Undurraga arrived before Romero could do any real damage. 
        Peña looked like he would get a scoring opportunity for the Jaguars moments later, but Santiago Melgar stepped on his legs. Peña fell down and couldn't do anything from there. The resulting free kick ended up giving Viacava another opportunity, but Cassasco repelled it. Romero got a chance to knock in the rebound but Carrasco gathered this one in and held it. 
        A similar sequence of events then played out at the other end of the field. Morales seemed about to breakaway when Rosas took him down, resulting in a free kick for Cambridge, which missed.
        Just five minutes remained now and the ball went up and down the field until the final minute when Cambridge captain Soto was taken out by Rosas while enroute to the goal, giving Soto another free kick opportunity, this time from much closer in. His line drive missed by about one inch.
        And that was the game, ladies and gentlemen -- 1-0 for Cooperative which now advances to the championship game against International. Cambridge will play Christian Learning for third place in the consolation game.              
  
Griffin second half surge provides win  

      Not that the Griffin boys had exactly a walk in the sun in their 4-1 victory over Christian Learning. The winless Junior Eagles played their best game of the year, and had things knotted up 1-1 with the undefeated Griffins at halftime.

      There was, moreover, a certain element of good fortune in the lone Griffin goal. Jose Luis Sciaroni’s high-speed shot from the right of the goal hit the near post and ricocheted into the chest of Eagle goalie Jose Luis Escudero, who couldn’t quite get control of it. It spun on the ground and just barely crossed the goal line.

     Hernan Virreira shot in the equalizer for the Eagles a few minutes later. Virreira was playing his first game of the season because of earlier eligibility problems.   

     All that having been said, it must also be noted that in the first half the Griffins missed a penalty kick on a hand ball well inside the penalty box, as well as a point blank shot by an attacker who received a centering pass all alone in front of the goal and fired a shot that was just a little too high.

       The Griffins did then proceed to break the game open with three goals in the second half, with Danny Hanley playing a role in all three.

      For the first he fired a long centering pass that Simon Marone headed into the goal.

     Hanley then scored twice himself, once by swiveling his way through the Griffin defense, and once on a penalty kick.      

Griffins, Jaguars Dominate in JV Volleyball Semis

Knights Nearly Upset Jaguars, Griffins Breeze Past Eagles
By Trevor Reed, Jesse Mann, and David Boldt

     The Cooperative JV boys volleyball team advanced to the finals yesterday after narrowly defeating the Knights in three hotly-contested sets. From the outset neither team could gain a significant advantage or lead over the other, resulting in three very close, intense matches.

     Both the Knights and the Jaguars excelled in controlling the volleyball and spiking it back to their opponents with fervor, but an extremely low serving accuracy plagued both teams and prevented any considerable scoring drives. The first set saw the teams trade points until the scoreboard read 22-22, when at last three well placed serves by Jaguar Rodrigo Chavez gave Cooperative a 25-22 win.

     The Jaguars kept this momentum going and ultimately pulled ahead of the Knights in the second set 12-6. At this crucial point the Knights rallied, and spurred on by the cries of encouragement from their fans, doggedly combated the Jaguars in several long volleys that finally tied the score 19-19. Both teams competed fiercely for the remaining six point needed for victory, and after some impressive spikes and serves on both sides the score once again stood tied at 22-22. Here the Knights finally took command, and after an excruciatingly long volley that put them ahead 23-22, they decisively finished the match with a final score of 25-23.

     The third set closely resembled the first as both teams traded points and defiantly refused the other side any advantage. With the score tied 9-9, Jaguar Raul Valle swiftly spiked the ball directly off a Cambridge return to put the Jaguars in the lead. The Knights responded in kind about a minute later when Daniel Kirigin ruthlessly smacked the ball over the net and succeeded in once again tying the score. This competitive battle for points continued, until the Jaguars managed to pull away from the Knights and establish a firm 14-11 lead. Desperate not to let their foe slip away from them, the Knights returned a Jaguar serve, leaving the outcome of the match in question until the end. Down 14-12, the Knights needed a flawless three point scoring drive to stay in the match. Unfortunately Cambridge was robbed of any opportunity for a comeback when the last serve failed to clear the net. The Jaguars celebrated their survival against the Knights with wild enthusiasm, but will have to step up their game considerably if they want to defeat the Griffins for a trophy.

     The playoff game between the International JV boys volleyball team and the Christian Learning Center was not nearly as close. From the beginning, it was apparent that the Eagles were at a serious size disadvantage. Also, the fact that they only had one substitute player while the Griffin bench was bustling with eager players, made the Eagles' plight even more desperate. 

     Right off the bat both teams were able to score a few points, and the score rose to 2-2. Then, the Griffins took control with excellent serving from many of their players to gain a 7-3 lead. The Griffins continued with great spiking and widened their lead to six points. The Eagles did make a good effort to return the Griffin spikes, but many of the well placed shots were un-returnable. As a result, almost all of the Eagle points came from failed Griffin serves or missed spikes. A few good volleys between the two teams showed that the Eagles could compete with the Griffins, but it was not enough. The Griffins widened their lead even more, eventually winning the set 25-6.

     The second set started off with the Griffins full of enthusiasm, and they soon had a 12-3 lead. They continued to dominate, scoring 12 more points while only allowing the Eagles to score one. The score was at 24-4, and the Griffins were ready to finish the Eagles off. However, the Eagles didn't give up, and they managed to go on a 5-0 scoring streak before the Griffins finally finished them off with a score of 25-9.

Griffin and Jaguar Girls Fight Their Way to the Championship Match

     Cooperative won its way to the finals in a tough two-set match in which Christian Learning never gave up, and frequently threatened to take over the lead. The two teams battled on even terms through the first half of the first set, with Cooperative leading 11-9 at the approximate halfway point, and clinging to that narrow two-point margin through 15-13.

     The complexion of the set changed, however, when Fabiana Andrade went to the service line and began firing bullets over the net.  Cooperative took the next seven points and held a 22-13 lead.  Christian Learning tried to rally but the set was now out of reach and the Jaguars prevailed 25-17, with the last point coming anti-climactically on a service error.

     The Jaguars jumped off to a 5-0 lead in the second set, again benefitting from Andrade’s strong serving, but the Lady Eagles gradually clawed their way back and knotted the score at 10-10. The teams more or less matched points until 21-21, when the Jaguars moved ahead 23-21 thanks in large part to three good serves by Flavia Gutierrez.

     The Eagles finally broke her serve, but the reprieve was brief, and the Jaguars took the set 25-22, with the final point coming on a strong serve by Natalia Medina that the Eagles couldn’t handle.

The game was distinguished by several long rallies, and was played at a higher competitive level than the earlier meetings between the two teams that had also been close, but in which the points were usually decided by shorter rallies.

     International had much less trouble disposing of Cambridge in their playoff match. The Griffins took the lead 8-3in the early stage of the first set, and they did it even though Cambridge was playing well. Just not quite well enough. Cambridge then seemed to hold its own for a while, benefitting, among other things, from four consecutive bad serves by International.

     However, International was able to hang onto a four- to six-point lead until the score reached 19-15. At that point Ciara Harriague took over the serving for International, helping her team mightily as the Griffins ran off six straight points to take the set 25-15, with several of the points coming on service aces.

     In the second set Cambridge was able to play the Griffins on an even basis through a tie at 12-12, at which point International surged ahead, with the crucial series of serves coming from Pamela Suarez this time. Cambridge only managed two more points in the remainder of the game, which International won 25-14.

     This game too was marked by long rallies and fine play on both sides. Cambridge probably played well enough to have won many games, but couldn’t match International’s consistency and powerful play when the contest went into its crucial closing phases.

JV Volleyball Playoffs - Scoreboard for October 21

JV Boys Volleyball

Cooperative d. Cambridge 2-1 (25-22, 23-25, 15-12)

International d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-6, 25-9)

JV Girls Volleyball

Cooperative d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-17, 25-22)

International d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-15, 25-14)

Varsity Soccer Semifinals

Two Knights try to erect a blockade against onrushing Jaguar Antonio
Salvatierra (10) -- Ximena Fagan

Griffins, Jaguars dominate soccer semis

By David Boldt and Jesse Mann

     International and Cooperative continued to dominate the varsity semifinals Thursday, and their teams will face each other in the soccer championships in two weeks, just as they will in volleyball.

     In the boys semifinals, International defeated Christian Learning 2-0 and Cooperative defeated Cambridge 5-1.

     In the girls competition, International defeated Christian Learning 2-1 and Cooperative defeated Cambridge by a whopping 13-0.

     In both boys and girls’ divisions the winning teams were playing on their home fields, having won that right through their records in the regular season.


Griffin, Eagle girls start slow, but get hot

     The girl's semifinal game between International and Christian Learning began rather sluggishly as players on both teams were clearly feeling the oppressive humidity and harsh, hot rays of sunlight. For the majority of the first half the soccer ball was calmly shuttled from one end of the field to another, with no significant attempts on goal.

       This peaceful game play ended abruptly when Griffin forward Carolina Baldvieso scooped up a shot that bounced off the Eagle goalie and caromed of the crossbar and into the net. A few minutes later the Griffins doubled their lead when Natalia Davila launched the ball past the Eagle goalie once again.

      The Eagles, however, refused to quit without a fight. After a few more close shots by the Griffins, the Eagles turned the tables and almost managed a comeback. Eagle Abby Phillips took full advantage of a well-placed pass and dribbled the ball skillfully down field and then kicked it into the corner of the Griffin net. to make the score 2-1.

      The Eagles then narrowly missed tying the score when another shot on the Griffin goal bounced off a defender and was just barely batted away by the agile International goalie. For the remainder of the match the Griffins clung tenaciously to their thin lead, desperately repulsing several determined Eagle attacks. At last the referee sounded his whistle, and the Griffins celebrated a 2-1 victory.

Griffin boys with physically intense match

            The Griffin gentlemen also emerged victorious after an agonizingly aggressive game against the Eagles that ended with a 2-0 score in their favor.  Both teams flew onto the pitch itching for success, resulting in an aggressive, spirited battle. The Eagles concentrated the bulk of their manpower on defense, a strategy that frustrated International offensive effort. The Griffins were limited in the first half to several long shots on goal, each skillfully snatched out of the air by Eagle goalie Wesley Ordoñez.

   The only significant threat to the Griffins in the first half was embodied in the person of Eagle forward Andre Larson, who got close to the International net on several occasions by bulldozing his way through the Griffin defense. 

     The score was 0-0 at the half and as the scoreless stand off dragged on, the game escalated into a rough frenzy that produced a fair number of battered, limping bodies by the end of the second half.  In one of the more bizarre episodes Eagle forward Trevor Reed was kicked in the nose by a Griffin defender while he (Reed) was attempting to head the ball downfield.

    The scoreless stalemate was finally ended when Griffin forward Gary Suarez received a pass in front of the penalty box and contorted himself in mid-air to rocket the ball into the Eagle net.

     Several minutes later the Griffins extended their lead when Mateo Suarez (no relation to Gary) found a home for the wandering soccer ball in the corner of the Eagle goal.

      Although the Eagles tried desperately, the Griffins successfully defended their two-goal lead for the remainder of the match. 

Jaguar boys prove explosive against Cambridge

     The boys contest between the Jaguars and Knights looked like it was going to be a fairly even affair through much of the first half, even though the Jaguars scored the first two goals on well placed shots by Josue Abuawad, and narrowly missed on open net opportunity.

     But Knight Anthony Salvatierra was able to pierce the Jaguar defense and launch an unstoppable shot into the left hand side of the goal to make the score 2-1, and it looked for a while like the game might be a real contest.

     This was not to be the case, however, as the explosive Jaguar offense would score two more times in the half to take a commanding lead of 4-1 at halftime.

     The game had a peculiar rhythm to it. For a while it would proceed on a seemingly even basis, with Cambridge winning its share of balls in the open field, but then the Jaguars would suddenly strike.

     Cambridge goalie Mauricio Soto did his best to keep the game close. On the sequence that resulted in Cooperative’s third goal the Knight eighth-grader repelled two shots before Jaguar Esteban Sauto was able to head a high bouncing rebound into the goal.

     The fourth Jaguar goal was a decisive blast by Nicolas Cronenbold that was still rising when it hit the back post, caroming back out onto the field beyond the point Cronenbold had kicked it from.

     The Jaguars added one more goal in the second half when winger Nicolas Aguirre made a long looping run  from the right-hand side of the goal. The Cambridge defense was slow in getting back to meet him. While Soto frantically gestured for help, Aguirre had several undisturbed seconds to line up a shot into the far side of the goal. He didn't miss.

     The Cambridge boys can take some solace in the fact that they are the only team to score on Cooperative so far this year, and they did it three times.

Jaguar Fernanda Vaca Diez races Knights Lucia Candia (17) and Isadora
Zaghinji down the sideline -- Ximena Fagan 

Jaguar girls set scoring records against Lady Knights


     The girls contest had more of the feel of a friendly scrimmage than a playoff game. Cambridge apparently decided that the way to prepare for the future was to let some of its younger players take their lumps against a Jaguar team that will probably be remembered as the best in League history, and for much of the game the Knights had six junior varsity players on the field.

Tania Landivar'seight goals set a new League record.-- Ximena Fagan 

     Cooperative wasn’t at full strength either. Four of its starters were absent attending a Global Issuues Network conference in Lima, Peru, including the heart of its defense, senior fullbacks Carla Limpias and Ana Peredo.

     However, the Jaguars offense was at full strength, and they handled the ball for much of the game, seemingly able to score at will.

      The game will probably be recalled in the record books for the Jaguars total score of 13, and for Tania Landivar’s individual total of eight goals. Both are League records and likely to remain so for some time.

     Cooperative also got three goals from Fernanda Vaca Diez and two from Giovanna Varalta.

Varsity Soccer Semifinals - Scoreboard for October 20

Boys Varsity

International d. Christian Learning 2-0

Cooperative d. Cambridge 5-1

Girls Varsity

International d. Christian Learning 2-1

Cooperative d Cambridge 13-0

Varsity Volleyball Playoffs - Scoreboard - October 18

Boys Varsity

International d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-19, 25-8)

Cooperative d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-20. 25-15)

Girls Varsity

International d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-12, 25-7)

Cooperative d. Cambridge 2-0 (25-15, 25-10)*

 ___________


·  These set scores may be slightly revised. The scoreboard was malfunctioning and it wasn’t possible to check the official scoresheet Tuesday night.  

Varsity Volleyball Playoffs

Jaguars, Griffins Triumph In Volleyball Semis

By David Boldt and Sung-Eun Song

The battle is not always to the strong, nor the race always to the swift -- but that is the way to bet. Or so goes the old Las Vegas axiom, and so went the varsity volleyball semifinals held at International Tuesday afternoon.

A bettor who bet the favorite in all four contests would have cleaned up, as the favored team won in each case, usually by a comfortable margin, though there were some attempted upsets.

As a result, teams from International and Cooperative will face each other in both the boys and girls championship games next week, while teams from Cambridge and Christian Learning will have to battle for third-place bragging rights in the consolation games.

On the bright side, all of the games in the finals – both championship and consolation contests – promise to be close and exciting, whereas Tuesday’s action tended more toward the cut-and-dried with all four matches being decided in straight sets, often by overwhelming scores. 

Boys: Underdogs Put Up a Fight 

Interestingly, the team that may have come closest to pulling off a successful insurrection was the Cambridge boys team. Cambridge has not won a boys volleyball game in years, but the last time they did so it was an upset victory over a heavily favored team in the playoffs, and they seemed to have thoughts of doing it again.

Playing against undefeated International, the Knights battled point-for-point with the Griffins until 19-19, at which point the Griffins decided that this nonsense had to stop and won the next six points,moved ahead, finally taking the set 25-19.
     Both teams continued to play in an up tempo, aggressive style in the second set, but International took at 8-2 lead and stayed in control of this one winning easily 25-8.

Juan Sebastian Narvaez led the Griffin attack, deftly switching tactics as needed – spiking the ball when that was going to work, tapping the ball into an open spot when that seemed the more likely way to score. Santiago Maldonado likewise scored kill, after kill for the Griffins. The Griffins servers were faster and more accurate

The Knights made some nice plays, particularly in receiving service and making defensive digs, but couldn’t manage the consistency and power needed to match the Griffins.

Christian Learning, for its part, put up a spirited defense in the first set against Cooperative before losing 25-20. The Eagles were battling for every point, and there were several long rallies. Jesse Mann was outstanding for the Eagles.

The second set consisted of alternating runs by the two teams. Christian Learning actually led 6-4 in the early stages, but then the Jaguars switched to a more aggressive style and were soon in full command, while Christian Learning struggled to find its rhythm.

A ball-handling error seemed to deflate the Eagles, and the Jaguars took advantage of the shift in momentum to take command of the set, which they won 25-15.

 Girls: More like Executions than Contests

Christian Learning really never had a chance against undefeated International, which won 25-12, 25-7, keeping intact its record of not having lost a set this year. 

The International attack was led by Maria Victoria Gutierrez, Beatriz Nallar and eighth grader Clara Harangue. Nallar personally powered five straight kills in the opening moments of the match to give the Griffins an 11-4 lead they never relinquished.

Eagles Rebecca Kindle and Susana Alvarez managed some good blocks, but the Eagles were never able to figure a way to consistently stop the International offense.

The Eagles hopes were decisively crushed in the second set when Harriague reeled off eight consecutive service aces.

Cambridge had only marginally better luck against Cooperative, losing both sets by double-digit margins. (The exact scores were in doubt Tuesday night because of a scoreboard malfunction and the unavailability of the official score sheets after the game.)

Cooperative dominated play from the start, moving out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set. Jaguar Ana Peredo seemed able to do whatever was needed, setting the ball perfectly to her teammates when that seemed the best option, smashing it herself when that seemed called for. Tania Landivar’s quick responses on defense often kept a ball in play. The Jaguars’ team play was a marvel to behold.

Cambridge got some good blocks by Lisa Delboy, and Valeria LaTorre managed several kills and blocks, but it wasn’t enough to stall the Griffins momentum, which just rolled on.