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
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
Sure enough, Cambridge
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,
