September 8 - Soccer and Volleyball Results

Boys JV Soccer:

Cooperative 1, International 1

(International won shootout 4-3)

Cambridge 5, Christian Learning 0

Boys Varsity Soccer

Cooperative 1, International 0

Cambridge 1, Christian Learning 0

Girls JV Volleyball

International d. Cooperative 2-0 (25-23, 25-10)

Christian Learning  d. Cambridge 2-1 (22-25, 25-22, 15-12)

Girls Varsity Volleyball

International d. Cooperative 2-0 (25-13, 25-15)

Cambridge d. Christian Learning 2-0 (25-7. 25-17)

Stories Below

Varsity Boys Soccer

Jaguars Win Knock-Out Against Griffins, 1-0
Story by Lucia Landivar, SCCS

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

      The Cooperative varsity boy soccer team won 1-0 against International at Cooperative Thursday afternoon in a game that was fiercely contested from beginning to end.

      The Jaguars scored their goal in the first half of the game, and the two teams continued to fight without scoring another goal throughout the rest of the match. Both teams were playing their first match against each other, and each wanted to get closer to the title of League Champions.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

      There were no rays of sunlight passing through the gray and cloudy sky above the players. There was a little cold breeze, and some drizzle before and during the match that made the field (and ball) wet and slippery, but did not keep the Jaguar and Griffin fans home. There were several parents from both teams, and many student supporters.

     The two teams have been the biggest rivals and closely matched of recent Interscholastic League history. Many students call them the “Blooming and Oriente” of the League (after the biggest local rivals in soccer).”  The Jaguars won the championship last year against the Griffins, and since then, the Griffins have been working extra hard, ever since June, and with a new coach and a goal of defeating  their rivals.

     The Griffins and Jaguars both entered the field as bundles of nerves, full of energy and ready to give it their all to win it. The referee blew the whistle to start the game, and both teams started out strong and fast. Spectators could tell that both their teams were pushing themselves to their limits, desperate for a win.

      The Jaguars took the initiative in the game first, controlling the ball the most. Nicolas Cronembold took the first shot to the goal of the game for his Jaguar mates, but failed to score. Both teams were constantly attacking each other’s sides, but the goalies blocked shots with extreme precision.

      International goalie Santiago Maldonado kicked the ball all the way to the Cooperative goal at one point, only for the ball to be headed aside by Jaguar defender Sebastian Vedia, after which it was sent all the way back to Maldonado again.

     Cooperative’s Juan Carlos Laguna and International’s Javier Garcia tangled their feet while trying to gain control of the ball, and fell straight to the ground. On several occasions Griffins Eduardo Pantoja and Gary Suarez pushed the Jaguar’s defense to its limits, attacking fiercely at every chance they got.

      Laguna almost scored a goal on a rebound after the Cooperative’s goalie Eduardo Ribera grabbed a ball in the air multiple times. A header by Jaguar Jose Mozza popped nearly into the Griffin goal, but Maykol Villavicencio came to the Griffin’s rescue by kicking the ball more or less out of sight before it had a chance to enter the goal.

            Cooperative’s Cronembold and Laguna played on the left side of the field together, tangoing their way through the International players many times throughout the game. Esteban Sauto got close to the goal, seemingly ready to make a sure goal for the Jaguars, but Villavicencio interfered with the Jaguar plans again, appearing with extreme velocity and covering the ball inches from the goal.

            Despite all the excitement and close shots, the Jaguars scored the only goal of the match and won the duel 1-0.

Knights Overcome Eagles 1-0
Story by Jesse Mann, SCCLC

Cambridge managed to wrestle victory from the Eagles yesterday in a fierce power struggle on the soccer pitch. Both teams played hard and well, resulting in several heart – stopping moments. Although the Eagles were hurting in the midfield due to the absence of star player Luis Doi, they managed to keep the Cambridge defense on its toes, narrowly missing two headers early in the first half. The Knights countered several minutes later with a hard shot on the Eagle net, but the Eagles returned in kind with soon after by a shot that just cleared the Knight's crossbar. Other opportunities quickly presented themselves to both teams: Cambridge nearly scored when a shot on an empty Eagle net was deflected by a zealous defender and SCCLC forward Andre Larsen knocked the Knight's goalie over in a heated effort to tip the ball into the Cambridge net. Despite these and other close goal attempts, the first half remained scoreless.

The second half opened with a vicious offensive attack by the Knights, climaxing in a hard shot that slipped through Eagle goalie Wesley Ordonez's arms only to be booted away by an Eagle defender. Cambridge finally got their chance a few minutes later, and this time they could not be denied. A missed goalie kick by Ordonez sent the ball directly downfield to Knight Herless Diaz, who immediately scooped it up and deposited it in the corner of the Eagle net. For the remainder of the second half the Eagles desperately sought a goal to tie the score, coming close on several occasions. With only a few minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick after a Knight hand-ball in the goalie box. Andre Larsen stepped forward to take the kick. With excitement on both sides rising to a fevered pitch, Larsen sent the ball flying just over the Knight's crossbar. A few short minutes later the final whistle sounded, concluding a game filled with exciting moments and near misses on both sides. 

JV Boys Soccer

Griffins and Jaguars Tie 1-1   

Story by Fernando Monasterio, SCCS

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

        The International and Cooperative junior varsity boys soccer teams deadlocked 1-1 in an intensely fought game on the Cooperative field Thursday

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

        The first half was scoreless, though both teams gave their opponents plenty to worry about, and the big crowd with fans from both schools had plenty to yell about. Everyone could see that Jaguar goalie Luis Peredo was feeling stressed after Mateo Suarez of International narrowly missed on a free kick.

        The Griffins were able to score first on a sequence of events that started with a corner kick by Simon Moron. William Yeatts missed his effort to clear the ball for the Jaguars and Griffin Jose Luis Sciarone, coming in from behind, kicked the ball into the net.

        The teams played on gamely through a heavy rain, and finally the Jaguars got a penalty shot with seven minutes to go after Claudio Bedoya slipped the ball through to Gabriel Romero who was fouled in the penalty area. Richard Salvatierra took the penalty shot and scored, triggering a celebration by the Jaguar fans  as the game was tied 1-1, and it stayed tied until the end.

        The cheers of the Jaguars were deflated in the penalty shootout, however, as Salvatierra missed and allowed the Griffins to get the extra point in the standings for winning the shootout, 4-3.      

Knights Beat Eagles 5-0
Story by Jonah Vanderzwaag, SCCLC

Photo by Julia Boldt.

The Cambridge JV Knights defeated the Christian Learning Center Eagles 5-0 in a soccer game played at the International School on Thursday.

The Knights had a definite size advantage and scored their first goal only a few seconds into the game. After this goal, the Eagles improved and were able to keep possession of the ball for awhile. However, the Knights were relentless and they continued to attack. Mauricio Soto(who scored the first goal) scored another goal in the first half as did Knight Percy Vidal.

Photo by Julia Boldt.

In the second half, the Eagles still could not get back into the game, despite good playing by Eagles Hwapyung Lim and Luke Phillips. Knight Mauricio Soto was able to score once again to bring the score to 4-0 and earning a hat trick in the process. An own-goal by the Eagles brought the score to 5-0 by the time the game had finished.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

Griffins Overwhelm Jaguars, Rule League

Story by Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

    

     If there remained any doubt about which girls volleyball team is SCISL’s best, the Santa Cruz International school girls volleyball team erased it Thursday afternoon with a dominating triumph over Cooperative in the Cooperative gym.

    The Griffins won the first set 25-13. The second set also went to Griffins as they defeated Jaguars 25-15 for the 2-0 match victory. 

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

       The first set started out almost evenly with a slight lead of Jaguar girls. Maria Paula Aguirre of Jaguars stood out for her powerful spiking skill, continuously threatening the Griffin girls. Tania Landivar was another contributor to the Jaguars early lead, as she picked up most of the blocks stably and flexibly. Both teams traded point by point until the score reached 12-10 in favor of the Griffins. .

     However, at that point, the Griffin girls began to assert themselves aggressively. They won four points consecutively on the service from Beatriz Nallar, whose shots were so powerful that they seemed completely unblockable.

    The Griffins gradually assembled a 17-10 lead, never giving the Jaguars a chance to build any momentum.

    Among the Griffin girls, the most outstanding was Maria Victoria Gutierrez, who served as the catalyst for the Griffins attack. She caught every chance she got, never missing a ball, always spiking it at her maximum force. She leaped, jumped and spiked the ball flexibly and accurately, often spotting an empty part of the Jaguars court to target; and maintaining firm control of the ball.

   Throughout the match, the Griffins girls played solid defense and had an artistic hitting performance. They didn’t have a lot of hitting errors even though Jaguars played really good defense.

   The first set ended 25-13, giving the Griffins a big victory.

   In the second set, the Griffin girls came out with an even more energy sparking, racing to a 6-1 lead and then never looking back. Led by senior Gutierrez, the Griffin girls held off the usually dominant attack of the Jaguar girls.

     After the eight-point timeout, which occurred with the score 8-2 in favor of Griffins, the teamwork of the Jaguar girls seemed to collapse. They made a several errors in their own side of the court while passing the ball to each other, and the overall team atmosphere seemed unstable.

    Meanwhile the Griffin girls roared on, widening the point gap to 17-6, almost tripling the Jaguars’. The Jaguars tried catch up with a strong service from Landivar and some nicely finessed points, and gained eight points, but it was too late. The gap was too big to cover and the Griffins were too strong to overcome. The Griffins continued widening their lead until 22-14 with some nicely choreographed duets by Gutierrez and Nallar. The second set ended 25-15, giving Griffins a 2-0 match victory. 

Lady Knights Easy Winners Over Eagles
By David Boldt

    The Cambridge Varsity girls volleyball team had little trouble defeating Christian Learning two sets to none in a match played Thursday in the International gym.

     Cambridge sprinted ahead of the Eagles in the opening set, eventually opening up a lead of 19-7, and then taking the final six points to win the set 25-7. The Eagles were plagued by unforced errors and serving mistakes, while Cambridge was able to return the ball consistently throughout.

     At the beginning of the second set the Eagles stopped making mistakes, and the contest was even until 5-5, with both teams making some intrepid returns. But then the Knights, who are now 1-1 on the season, began to pull slowly ahead, first by three points at 8-5, then by five at 13-8, and ultimately by nine at 21-12.

     At this point both teams gave their substitutes a chance to play, and the game became more even, but with Cambridge maintaining an eight or nine point lead, and finally taking the second set 25-17.

    For Cambridge the outstanding players were Valeria LaTorre who lived up to her name by being a tower of strength at the net, and Mariel Palacios, whose all-around play was outstanding.

     For the Eagles Rebekah Kienzle distinguished herself in a losing cause with both her hard-hitting returns, and impressive digging out of well hit balls coming in from the Cambridge side. Christian Learning is now 0-2.     

JV Girls Volleyball

Eagle JV edges Knights 2-1

By David Boldt

The Christian Learning girls junior varsity girls volleyball team let Cambridge come back to take the opening set, but then buckled down to take the next two sets to secure the victory Thursday in the International gym.

All three games were decided by identical three-point margins. Only the name of the winning team changed.

Christian Learning led for most of the first set, and held a seemingly commanding five-point lead at 21-16.

 However, at that point the Eagles seemed to get a mild case of the yips and the Knights were able to take advantage of some Eagle miscues and some fine plays of their own to come from behind and take the set 25-22.

The two teams – both plagued by early season errors – fought hammer-and-tongs in the second set, and the score was knotted at 21-21 before the Eagles put on a late surge to win and even the match at one set apiece. The score was again 25-22.

In the third set it was Cambridge’s turn to take the lead and then suffer a loss of focus. They took leads of 6-3 and 8-5, but the Eagles came back to tie the score at 8-8. The teams played evenly to 12-12, but then the Eagles took the last three points in a row to win 15-12.

The Eagles benefitted from strong play at the net by Emily Ordoñez and Emily Mercado. Shakine Miranda, a sixth-grader playing her first year, showed great promise, as did several other young Eagle players.

Denise Narvallo was outstanding for Cambridge which also got strong service from Adriana Canedo.  Another change for Cambridge was that whereas it has had trouble fielding a JV girls volleyball team in past years, this time they had a full bench.

Griffinettes defeat Jaguars in straight sets 

By: Nicolas Handal
Cooperative School

     The International JV girl’s junior varsity volleyball team defeated the Jaguar two sets to none on a Thursday afternoon at Cooperative gym, with lots of spectators on hand for both sides.

      The game was full of tension at the start. There were outstanding serves for each team especially from Ciara Harriague from the Griffins. The Jaguars fell behind 13-8 in the early going, but came back to tie the game at 18-18.

     At this point Manuela Gonzalez was serving for the International and she made five straight points with her serve to make it 23-18, and seemingly end the Jaguar hopes.  But the Jaguars rallied, stopped making mistakes, and evened the score at 23-23.

      But at that point the Griffins took the last two points to win the set narrowly 25-23.

     The second set started with Harriague serving again. She smashed the ball over the net, and if it came back at all it was very slow and with no power. The Jaguars seemed to lose faith as they fell behind 16-7, and began making unforced errors. The Griffins took advantage of that, and won the set 25-10.

      Jaguar captain Naira Milena Rodriguez said; “There were many odd mistakes and a bad decision and that cost us. We did really well to fight back, but unfortunately we couldn't win the game, but we will work hard for the cup.”

September 6 Soccer and Volleyball Results

JV Boys Volleyball:
Cambridge 2 -- Christian Learning 1
International 2 -- Cooperative 0

Varsity Boys Volleyball:
Christian Learning 2 -- Cambridge 0
International 2 -- Cooperative 0

JV Girls Soccer:
Christian Learning 3 -- Cambridge 0
Cooperative 2 -- International 2 (Cooperative gained the extra point with a 4-3 penalty win)

Varsity Girls Soccer:
Christian Learning 2 -- Cambridge 0
Cooperative 8 -- International 0

Girls Soccer

Guest Article: Eagles Win Both JV and Varsity Games over Knights

By Paul Smith

Eagle Sandi Wilcke and Knight
Isadora Zagini battle for the ball.
Picture by Julia Boldt

            The football season for the Lady Knight’s Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) teams has not started out very well. Their first game of the season, the Knights traveled over to Santa Cruz Cooperative School (SCCS) to play against the girl’s Jaguars JV and Varsity teams. The SCCS girls’ football teams are well known for their ability to do well in football and win games.  The Knights JV girl’s team kicked off first at 15:30. From the very beginning, it was obvious that the Jaguars were better prepared. The JV Jaguars beat the Knights 4-0. The Knights played hard in their first game, but the Jaguars played harder. The Knights Varsity girls had an even tougher time playing against the Jaguars. The Jaguars scored seven goals, while the Knights were unable to get any points on the board.

            Yesterday on Tuesday the 6th, both Cambridge College (CC) and Christian Learning Center (CLC) traveled to Santa Cruz International School (SCIS) to play the second game of the season. The JV Knights appeared to be bigger, and stronger than the JV Eagles, and most would have probably picked the Knights to win the game. The young Eagle girls from CLC fought hard throughout the game and beat the JV Knights 3-0. The Knights came close to scoring when they were awarded a penalty kick. The kick was blocked by the Eagle’s goalkeeper, but the ball bounced back to one of the Knights who was able to kick the ball at the goal again…but the ball bounced off the right goal post. Again the ball was recovered and kicked towards the Eagle’s goal by the Knights. This time the ball rolled a few centimeters wide from being a goal. The good news was that the Knight’s had teammate Dianny Hollweg celebrating a birthday and the JV girls were treated to birthday cake and soda after their game.

Picture by Julia Boldt

            The girl’s Varsity soccer match was an exciting one. Both teams did not have a lot of players on their team and only had two or three players to use in case of fatigue or injury. Several JV girls were added to the Varsity team so that there were sufficient players on the team. One of the Knight’s JV players filling in for the missing Varsity players was goalkeeper Barbara Black. Barbara, who is only a 6th grader, impressed the older Varsity girls with great play in goal as the fill-in goalkeeper. The Eagles Varsity team also found a handful of talented JV girls to play on the Varsity team. The Varsity Eagles and Knights played hard throughout the game. The Eagles scored first in the 2nd half. Not long afterwards, Cambridge College was awarded a penalty kick due to a handball. The Knight’s Nadia Rocco was able to power the shot past the Eagle’s goalkeeper and into the net to tie the game 1-1 late in the game. It almost looked like the game would end and have to be decided by penalty kicks, but the Eagles were able to score another goal late in the game which ended up giving the Eagles a 2-1 win over the Varsity Lady Knights. The Varsity girls were not given cake or soda to help comfort them after their last minute loss. Congratulations to both the Eagles and Knights girls for playing great games of football and for the hard work and effort. For the Knights Varsity and JV teams, the losses keep the girls from getting their first win of the season.

Isadora Zagini and Nadia Rocco attempt to stop Eagle
Luciana Beams.
Picture by Julia Boldt

The Knights’ next game will be played on September 13th against Santa Cruz International School. Will game 3 be the game that the JV and/or Varsity girls gain their first win of the season? We will find out on the 13th.

(This year, both volleyball and football games are played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays are girl’s JV and Varsity football, along with boy’s JV and Varsity volleyball. Thursdays it is boy’s JV and Varsity soccer, and girl’s JV and Varsity volleyball. All games will be held at either Santa Cruz International School or Santa Cruz Cooperative School. JV games usually start at 15:30, and Varsity games are started shortly after the conclusion of the JV games.)

 Varsity Jaguars Girls Show Their Power 8-0

By Sofía Sotelo, SCCS

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

      The Jaguar girls demonstrated they have what it takes once again this year to be the leaders of the League with a stunning 8-0 win over International on the Cooperative field Tuesday afternoon.

       The two winning teams of last week, the Griffins (who beat the Eagles 5-0) and the Jaguars (who beat the Knights 7-0) confronted one another, and the Jaguars quickly showed their dominance by taking a 3-0 lead in the first half. Before the game was over Landivar would have three goals and her fellow forward Fernanda Vaca Diaz would have four. Giovanna Varalta also scored.

       The pre-season forecasts the Griffins had been the team considered to have the best chance of ending the Jaguars winning streak, which goes back to 2007, and possibly even halting the string of championships Cooperative has amassed, going back to the inception of the League in 2005. The Griffins had practiced hard, and arrived at the game in high spirits.  

       And for a little while it looked like the game might be a real battle.

        Landivar scored the first goal for the Jaguars after 10 minutes of play. But then the Griffins, who were still hopeful they could retake control of the game, almost tied it up when Jaguar goalie Karla Aguilera couldn’t control the ball in the penalty area and it rolled loose. However, Cooperative defender Carla Limpias reached the ball before Griffin Maria Victoria Gutierrez, and whacked the ball away from the danger zone.

       The Jaguars moved further ahead when Vaca Diez scored the second and third Jaguar goals of the first half.

      There were few other scoring opportunities in the first half. The International offense struggled on several occasions to break through the right side of the Jaguar defense, covered by Ana Paula Peredo, and got off three shots on goal, but all three missed.

     The Jaguars for their part had four missed shots in the first half, including one corner, but dominated play, maintaining possession of the ball about 80 percent of the time.

        The Jaguar girls continued to dominate the game in the second half and Vaca Diez scored her third goal when she and teammates Paulina Aguirre and Giovanna Varalta broke through the Griffin defense.

        The  Jaguars struck again five minutes later when Varalta outran  the International defense and scored, making the score 5-0.

        Griffin Natalia Davila looked like she was going to get a chance to score and avoid a shutout, but the Jaguar defense remained tenacious.

      The Griffin girls seemed to accept their defeat when ten minutes later, Vaca Diez scored a fourth time, making it 6-0.

        The Jaguars weren’t, however, quite finished. Landivar scored two goals in two minutes near the end of the game, giving her a hat trick, and making the final score 8-0 in favor of the now league-leading Lady Jaguars.

Junior Jaguars and Griffins Deadlock 2-2

By Manuel Saavedra, SCCS

               The Cooperative girls JV soccer team and International tied after a hard-fought game which finished 2-2 on Tuesday afternoon in the Jaguars’ home field. In the penalty shoot-out, the Cooperative girls defeated the Griffins in a close 4-3 mini-contest.

               All four goals in regulation time were scored in the second half, after a first half that was a defensive stalemate.

            In the first half, the Jaguar offense wasn’t able to break through the Griffin defense, although at some moments the Cooperative girls trespassed blatantly into the Griffin zone. However, International’s well focused goalkeeper couldn’t be overwhelmed.

            In the second half, it seemed as if the game had started all over again in a different spirit.  Both teams started demonstrating their offensive skills more aggressively. The fans of both teams were eager to celebrate a goal and minutes after the start of the second half, Paula Sakuma gave the Jaguar fans an opportunity to do so.

             She sent an accurate pass that perfectly set up Michelle Lederman who scored by lightly tapping the ball into the right side of the goal, giving the Jaguars a 1-0 lead.

             Many Jaguar fans thought this would discourage the Griffins, but instead the Griffins improved. They started to attack through the right side of the field, but the Jaguar defense at first was organized enough to handle the attack.

        The game became more exciting, and after several opportunities near the goal the talented 6th grade Griffin, Sofia Sciaroni, was able to surprise the defense with a quick reverse of direction and scored to tie the game at 1-1. 

            The game was now about to finish, but no one wanted to leave with a tie, so the teams kept attacking each other. A corner kick sent by the Jaguars confused the Griffins defense and produced a collision between a defender and the goalie that facilitated Lederman’s second score, putting the Jaguars ahead again, 2-1.

            But in the closing seconds the Griffins launched yet another counter-attack that left their captain, Fernanda Gutierrez alone in front of the goal. She salvaged a tie for the Griffins by scoring with a hard-driven kick. 

            The game went on to penalties where the Jaguars gained the extra point in the standings by scoring all four of their penalties, while the Griffins were off target on two. It wasn’t necessary for the Jaguars to take their fifth shot.

Varsity Boys Volleyball

Eagles Outplay Knights
By Trevor Reed, SCCLC

         Even with the notable absence of Eagle star Andre Larsen, they were able to defeat the Knights in the first two sets of play on Tuesday at the International gym.
         The Eagles could attribute their success partly to excellent blocking by the net against Knight spikes. The first set started out very evenly with the teams battling for each point. Midway through the set the score was almost tied up with the Eagles ahead 11-10. The Knights and Eagles both were desperate for a win, and it showed. Great saves were made, and the spiking and blocking from both sides was superb. The fans were on the edges of their seats as the score rose to 20-20. The Knights were able to get a 22-21 lead, but the Eagles fought back and won the first set 25-23.
         In the second set, the playing remained very even between the teams. Long volley after long volley kept the fans interested throughout the long set. The Knights gained an 11-8 lead, but it didn't last long. With Eagle players Cesar Flores and Wesley Ordoñez played extremely well together in the front, the Eagles finally pulled away from the Knights, gaining an 18-15 lead and eventually winning the set 25-19.

Griffins Defeat Jaguars
 By Sung-Eun Song, SCIS

     International’s boys varsity volleyball team achieved a dramatic victory over Cooperative this Tuesday, coming from eight points behind at the very end of the second set to win it and take the match 2-0.

      This breathtaking confrontation was held at Jaguar gym, where a large contingent of Jaguar fans watched in horror as the second set changed from what looked like a certain Cooperative victory, with the score standing at 24-18, to a Griffin triumph 26-24, that heartened an equally large International contingent

     The win put the undefeated Griffins in sole possession of first-place.

     The first set began with the Jaguars’ in the lead 6-3, with three kills by Camilo Avila, a star player of the Jaguars. Avila not only had a powerful spiking ability, but also led the Jaguars defensively at the net, picking up most of the blocks. 

       Josue Abuawad was another outstanding player of the Jaguars, who also greatly contributed to Jaguars early lead. Throughout the match, he played as a great setter, putting the ball in just the right place for his teammates. Throughout the match, he and Avila were a great scoring duo: Abuawad tapped the ball straight up into the air, allowing it to reach an ideal arc, at which point Avila connected with maximum force for a Jaguar score.

Photo by Jonatan Muñoz.

      The Jaguars maintained their slight advantage until 13-12, but the Griffins then crawled back to even the match at 13-13. And after knotting the match, the Griffins seemed to have all the momentum.

    The Griffins won three points consecutively on the service from Juan Sebastian Narvaez, who was a threat from any point on the court, slamming the ball from the back row, or leaping high at the net. Almost every shot from him seemed to be either just out of reach of the Cooperative players or too hot to handle.

      The Griffins defense was also bolstered by Santiago Maldonado and Eric Takayama, who successfully dug balls out that seemed almost on the floor, and got them back into the center position. The structural teamwork of Narvaez, Maldonado and Takayama gave Griffins an advantage that they did not relinquish, and finally they took the first set 25-20.

       The tide turned again in the second set. The Jaguars seized control of early at 6-2. The momentum was all theirs. The Jaguars continued widening their lead until 8-2. The Griffins regrouped at the break and came back playing more decisively, but they couldn’t change the tide.

          Avila again played a vital role in maintaining the Jaguars’ lead. He drove the ball with a high velocity in a straight line at a downward angle making it hard for the Griffins to return. Jaguars Jorge Melgar and Rodrigo Adriazola showed great teamwork as well. When Adriazola set the ball in a good position, Melgar delivered the ball with speed, accuracy, and power, connecting for a point.

     The Griffins players, although consistently five points behind the Jaguars, played a good game as well. Francisco Gonzales often spotted empty spots of Jaguars court, threatening the Jaguars aggressively. Santiago Maldonado also did a great job as a defender. He stopped most of the balls from falling to the floor by popping them up slightly, getting the ball ready for the setter.

      The score reached 24-18 in Jaguars’ favor, and the victory of Jaguars seemed tangible. However, an unexpected counterattack by the Griffins began. It started with Narvaez blocking a powerful spike attempt by Abuawad.  The score became 24-19.

         Long and harsh rallies continued, and this made the audience hold its breath.  Jaguar fans were hoping for just one more point, and the Griffins fans were hoping for a miracle. At the end of a long rally, the ball from Abuawad  hit the net and fell back into the Jaguar side of the court, making the score 24-20.

     Then consecutive quick kills Narvaez added two more points for the Griffins, making it 24-22.

      Bewildered, the Jaguars called time out, and all the audience stared at the score panel, then at the two teams in turn, holding their breath. After the break, a long rally resumed.  At the end of the rally, however, Jaguar Nicolas Handal’s slight error gave the Griffins the point and tied the score at 24-24.

      Then the Griffins turned the tables with one more massive spike from Narvaez gave the Griffins the lead, 25-24.

    At this point, Takayama, who had been serving flawlessly since the score had the Griffins six points behind, really uncorked one that a Jaguar defender could only slightly slow down to give the Griffins an incredible victory, 26-24.

JV Boys Volleyball

Junior Griffins Romp Against Jags
By David Boldt

     The International boys junior varsity volleyball team scored a convincing straight sets win over Cooperative in  the Jaguar gym Tuesday.

     The Griffins had no trouble winning the first set 25-10. The second set was a muck closer affair with the teams battling evenly until the score was tied 14-14, at which point the Griffins began to assert themselves, gradually assembling a five point lead at 22-17, and then taking the last five points largely on the fine serving of J. C. Narvaez. Jorge Ortiz and Jorge Luis Sciaroni  were also outstanding for the Griffins.

     The game was unusually well played for a junior varsity game early in  the season, with both teams making many varsity-level plays. 

Knights Subdue Eagles

By Jesse Mann, SCCLC

        Cambridge’s JV boys volleyball team scored another victory yesterday against the SCCLC.  After winning the first set, the Eagles fell prey to a steady Cambridge onslaught, ultimately losing the crucial third set to the Knights. The Eagles got off to a great start in the first set, quickly racking up a 6 – 0 lead. The Knights rallied, however, and soon the two teams were neck in neck. A final offensive effort gave the Eagles victory in the first set 25 – 22. The second and the third sets, however, would be firmly controlled by Cambridge. Both sets saw the Knights establishing early leads and maintaining them. The second set finished with the Eagle’s trailing 25 – 20. Despite impressive spiking by Eagle Luke Phillips, the Eagles failed to put enough points on the score board during the third set, ultimately losing 15 – 6.

 

    

September 1 Soccer and Volleyball Results

Boys JV Soccer:
Cooperative 0-0 Cambridge (5-4 penalties)
International 6-0 Christian Learning

Boys Varsity Soccer
Cooperative 6-1 Cambridge
Christian Learning 2-0 International

Girls JV Volleyball
Cooperative 2 sets to 0 Cambridge
International 2 sets to 0 Christian Learning

Girls Varsity Volleyball
Cooperative 2 sets to 0 Cambridge
International 2 sets to 0 Christian Learning

Stories to come...

Boys Varsity Soccer

Eagles Surprise Griffins with 2-0 Win

The Eagles celebrate their first win in over a year.

The Christian Learning Center varsity boys soccer game celebrated their first win in over a year with a 2-0 defeat of the International Griffins. The exciting game was played at the International home field.

For the first half, the Eagles did all they could to defend against the relentless Griffin attacks. Quick and accurate passing helped the Griffins to maintain possession of the ball and take many good shots. However, the Eagle defense, led by Luis Doi, combined with great playing by goalie Wesley Ordoñez, helped to hold the Griffins scoreless in the first half. The Eagles had only a few chances of their own to score, and failed to capitalize on any. 

The game evened out in the second half as the Eagles started to get more comfortable in their passing and shooting. The Griffins continued to take shots, but now the Eagles were also taking a few shots of their own. Still, a sigh of relief washed over the Christian Learning Center fans every time a Griffin shot flew over the goal or was saved by Ordoñez.

 Finally, the Eagles were able to take advantage of their possession, and a ball passed forward over a a Griffin defender was trapped by Eagle Trevor Reed and shot straight at the goal. The Griffin goalie reached out to stop the ball, but it spun out of his hands and into the goal, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

 The Griffins became even more determined to score, and started to pressure the Eagle defense even harder. However, their aggressiveness throughout the game led to at least 3 yellow cards and a red card for the Griffins, and they were left playing with only 10 players.

 The Eagles took advantage of this one-man advantage by bringing the ball down the field with the Griffin defense scrambling to get back in place. Reed got the ball on the right side of the field and passed it across to forward Andre Larsen who tapped it in to the goal to bring the Eagles’ lead to 2-0.

 The Eagles spent the rest of the game focusing on defense, and although the Griffins got many good shots off, they failed to score any goals.

Eagle goalie Wesley Ordoñez dives to block a penalty kick.

As the end of the game neared, confusion during a corner kick led to a penalty kick opportunity for the Griffins. They needed the goal to have any chance of tying the game up. However, Eagle goalie Ordoñez once again displayed his skills with a stunning block. Moments later the final whistle was blown.

 The Eagle players gathered around Ordoñez, ecstatic with their first win after going winless the previous season.


Jaguars impress in win over Knights


By Nicolas Handal
Cooperative School

      The Jaguars boys’ varsity team started the season on an outstanding way, defeating Knights 6-1 on Thursday afternoon in the Jaguars campus. There was a big crowd for the Jaguars and a smaller one for the Knights.  

      Just after the game started Jaguar Josue Abuawad made a goal. With the ball bouncing near the goalie, Abuawad made a strong shot and the goalie couldn’t do anything to stop it.

      Minutes later, Cambridge’s Fabricio Subirana converted a goal with the header from a corner kick to tie the game at 1-1.

       The game remained very tight until Esteban Sauto made a goal from a long distance out, and the  Jaguar defense after that point were almost inviolable. Hyun Kim and Sebastian Vedia didn’t let the Knights get close to the goal.

       After many attempted play executions from the Jaguars the next goal finally came from a free kick made by Juan Carlos Laguna.

      Things were quiet again briefly until another goal was completed by Abuawad when  he smashed the ball into the goal from mid-air. When the first half was about to end, Cambridge almost made a goal from a free kick, but missed and the halftime score was 4-1. .

       In the second half some fantastic passes were made by the Jaguars. Sauto made his second goal,  pushing aside all defense and goalie attempts to stop him, making the score 5-1.

       The Knights seemed to lose faith in themselves, and looked tired. Jaguars took advantage as Manuel Navarro destroyed any Cambridge hopes remaining by making an amazing goal.  

      The game ended up 6-1, which left the Jaguars with smiles on their faces that somehow mixed with a look of determination. The team is hungry to win again this year – or die trying. Defender Hyun Kim said, “If you are first you are first. If you are second, you are nothing.” 

JV Boys Soccer

Jags, Knights fight toe-to-toe, tie

By Lucia Landivar

Cooperative School

       The opening JV boys soccer match between Cooperative and Cambridge started off nothing-to-nothing on a sunny Thursday afternoon with a small breeze and a clear sky, and 90 minutes later it ended with the score still the same.

     The teams went off to a penalty shoot-out to see who would get the extra point in the standings, and the Jaguars prevailed 5-4, with the outcome even of that exercise remaining undecided until the final shot..

     The game was played in the SCCS soccer field with several Cambridge and SCCS fans cheering their teams, who clearly were ready to start off their season, excited and full of strength.

     The first half of the match started off a little slowly, since the players were just warming up in their first big game. But the game gained some intensity when Mauricio Soto who plays varsity and junior varsity for the Knights shot the ball straight to the goal, but SCCS’s goalie Luis Peredo managed to catch the ball.

     The SCCS team gained drive and started to keep the ball in Knight territory. Jaguar Thomas Yeatts  maneuvered his way pass the Knights defense several times in attempts to score a goal, but the Knights had raised their shields, and were not permitting any ball enter their goal.

     Soto continued firing  long distance shots and penalty kicks to the Cooperative goal,  but  Jaguar Ian Pena blocked those kicks with his head. The first half of the game ended with both teams completing some nice passes, but still unable to score a goal.

     Both teams were very nervous and anxious after play resumed.  The SCCS Jaguars were the first to get their claws out against the Knights with Ian Pena shooting a penalty kick, but he missed.

     Knights Matthew Masayoshi and Soto (again) counterattacked, but fortunately for the Jaguars  Peredo made the stop again. Moments later danced his way to an apparent goal for the Knights, only to be called for an off-side penalty by the referee.

     After more equally failed attempts to score from both teams, the referee whistled the end of the game.

      Neither team had trouble scoring in the shootout, which doesn’t change the outcome from being a tie, but awards an extra point in the standings to the team that wins it. The purpose is to avoid ties in the end-of-season standings.
       Both teams made their first four tries before a Cambridge polayer hit the crossbar with his attempt, after which Peredo scored the winner.  


Griffins Defeat Eagles 6-0

By Trevor Reed

Editor-in Chief

Photo by Victoria Maelly.

The International JV boys soccer team scored goal after goal as they beat the JV Eagles in the first game of the season. The game, which was played at the International field, started out very balanced, but the Griffins were able to gain momentum by the second half.

In the first half, the Griffins had the first real scoring opportunity, but the ball was deflected off of the right goal post. A few other good shots were saved by the Eagle goalie.

 Soon after, Eagle forward Hernan Virreira caught a pass near the Griffin goal and blasted a high shot that bounced off the crossbar and almost straight down, but failed to enter the goal. 

After this near-goal, it was the Griffins’ turn again, and they were able to score this time after a forward pass into Eagle territory. One Griffin player was sent off the field with a red card after a particularly bad foul, but the Eagles were still outmatched in size by the Griffin players. The Griffins managed to score another goal before the end of the first half, which ended 2-0.

In the second half, the Griffins put the pressure on even more strongly. Although the Eagles had a few good chances of their own, their morale sank lower with each goal the Griffins scored. Four Griffin goals later, the game ended with the Griffins ahead 6-0. Although the score was very lopsided, the Eagles definitely have a lot of young talent to work with, and they may still be able to make an impact this season.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

Jaguars strong in opening victory

       The Cooperative girls volleyball team opened its title defense with a smoothly executed 2-0 defeat of a Cambridge team that showed it had talent, but was still making too many early season miscues to stay even with the ready, willing and able Jaguars.
       The game was played in the Jaguar gym Thursday afternoon in front of a small but noisy crowd representing both schools.
      Cambridge and Cooperative started out looking fairly evenly matched until the first required time-out, at which point Coooperative led by only a single point, 8-7. From there the Jaguars took control, taking turns ripping in serves and smashing cross-court volleys. The Jaguars led 12-7, then 18-10, and seemed to coast in to take the opening set 25-15.
       The Jaguar domination in the second set was clearer. After a 3-3 tie, the Jaguars moved ahead 10-3 and then 18-7, before finally winning the second set and clinching the match 25-13. Ana Peredo and Carla Limpias were the big hitters for the Jaguars, often ably set up by Maria Velasco and others.
       The Knights got strong play from Lisa Delboy, and Manel Palacios made some nice points by going above the net and tapping ball into an open spot.  

Griffin girls overpower Christian Learning

By Sung-Eun Song
International School


        The International school girls varsity volleyball team conquered the Christian Learning team Thursday afternoon in the SCIS gym. The Griffins swept the match in straight sets, 25-13, 25-11.
        In the first set, the Griffins held a lead of a few points several times. However, the Eagles kept fighting back to tie the score. But with the score tied at 7-7, Griffins finally put away the Eagles with three consecutive kills by senior Beatiz Nallar.
        The Griffins widened the score gap to 16-9, forcing Eagles to call a timeout; but it didn't work. Griffins Beatriz Nallar and Maria Victoria Gutierrez, with delicate taps to open spots and strong spikes, continued their dominance to give the Griffins a 23-13 lead that would not be overcome. Thanks to their cooperative play, the International team won the first set 25-13.
        The Eagles big players were Rebecah Kienzle and Arianne Somare. Rebecah Kienzle was capable of hitting hard and accurately, never missing chances she was given. Arianne Somare led the back row with great assistance. She led from behind the service line as well. Also Natalia Eguez and Susana Alvarez were a great help for the Eagles.
        The momentum continued in the second set as the Griffins jumped out to an early 8-4 lead with four kills from Gutierrez. Soon the Griffins increased their lead to 16-9. The outstanding players of Griffins in the second set, other than Gutierrez and Nallar, were Diana Melgar and Ciara Harriague. They greatly contributed to the Griffins with their strong serves and vital assistances. 
        The Eagles standouts continued to be Rebecah Kienzle and Arianne Somare, who reciprocated every attack aimed at them, but they couldn’t overpower the Griffins’ well-organized teamwork that would eventually find a weak spot..The second set ended 25-11, giving the Griffins a 2-0 match victory.   

JV Girls Volleyball

Jaguarettes win 2-0 over stubborn Knights

      The Cooperative junior varsity girls volleyball team overcame a recalcitrant Cambridge team in lrge part on the strength of superior serving, and won the opener of the season 2-0 Thursday afternoon in the Jaguars’ gym.

      Cooperative got out to an early lead in the first set, but the Knights fought back and closed the gap at the end of the set. However, the Jaguars were finally able to nail the set down 26-24.

      In the second set Cambridge jumped out to an early 12-5 lead, but a series of scorching sidearm serves by Jaguar Bruna Paz, delivered with meticulous accuracy, turned the game around. By the time Paz finally missed the score was 16-12 for the Jaguars.

      Cambridge seemed to lose concentration, and the Jaguar serving attack continued. Fabiana Andrade fired three strong serves that moved the Jaguars into firm control of the game at 23-16, and then Cooperative took the two final points in longer rallies to win the second set, and take the match, 25-16.


Griffins JV sweeps past Eagles
By Sung-Eun Song
International School

The International JV girls volleyball team outlasted the Christian Learning Center team on Thursday afternoon at the International gym, 25-9, 25-11.

The Griffins came out strong in the first set. They jumped out to a 18-6 lead, forcing the Eagle girls to take a timeout. However the timeout didn’t work as Griffins kept rolling, finally winning a 16-point decision as the first set ended in a flash, 25-9. The huge factors on this grand victory of Griffins were Ciara Harriague and Pamela Suarez. The standout of the Eagles was Shekineh Miranda.

     In the second set, the Griffins girls again opened with an early run of their own, breaking open an 9-3 lead with two kills from Ciara Harriague. Throughout the game, all the Griffins showed exellent serving, passing and spiking which accounted for their dominance. In the end the Griffin girls grabbed a 25-11 victory, taking the final point on an Eagle setting error.