Varsity Girls Volleyball Semifinals

Jaguar girls too strong for Knights

 The Cooperative girls varsity volleyball team scored a straight sets victory over Cambridge on their home court Thursday.
  Cooperative prevailed in the first set 25-11, and the second 25-14. The match was marked by long rallies, but except for a brief period at the beginning of the second set when the Lady Knights took a 4-1 lead, the Jaguars were relentless in their attack, playing error-free volleyball for extended stretches.
 Sofia Sotelo was an all-around star for the Jaguars, and Carla Limpias was also brilliant both at the front line and in the backcourt. Limpias, who was celebrating her birthday, broke the second set open with her swift and accurate serves. The score went from 11-8 to 19-8 during her service.
 Cambridge had lost twice to Cooperative in their previous meetings, but just didn't have the necessary precision to stay with the Jaguars in this match.
 The Jaguars will now play International in the championship game. The Knights will play Christian Learning for third place.      

Griffins victorious over Eagles 2-0

By Sung Eun Song
International School
 The International girls varsity volleyball team won their semifinal match against Christian Learning in straight sets on their home court Thursday, setting up a championship contest between the Griffins and Cooperative next week. The Griffins took the first set 25-12, and the second 25-19.
 The International JV girls volleyball team easily beat Christian Learning in straight sets Thursday at their home gym. They won the first set 25-12, and then took the second set 25-19.

  The Griffins were in command of the match from the beginning, moving out to a 6-0 lead in the first set on the strong serving of Laura Maragaño.  Her hard-hit serves were exactly pointed at the empty spot, letting nobody handle them. The Little Griffins then widened the score up to 14-6, and, at the end, 25-12.

  International continued its dominance in the second set as well. They never gave the Eagles a chance to catch up, maintaining the big margin from the beginning to the end of the game. The best Eagles players were Gaby Tang and Natalia Egüez, who continuously attacked and also defended well, but the Griffin advantage in consistency was too big to overcome. The Griffins won the second set 25-19.

JV Girls Volleyball Semifinals

Griffinettes defeat Little Knights

 The International girls junior varsity volleyball team won their semifinal match against Cambridge in straight sets on their home court Thursday, setting up a championship contest between the Griffins and Cooperative next week. The Griffins took the first set 25-9, and the second 25-13.

 The first set started with Chiara  Harriague’s strong serving. Harriague seemed like she was born to be a volleyball player, which she may have been. Her mother in International coach Eli Vilar. . Despite being only a seventh grader, she was the outstanding player in the game with her excellent passing and attacking skills.

 Another outstanding player was of  Nicole Fermin of Cambridge. Fermin never missed the chances she was given. Whenever she got a chance to attack, she spiked the ball accurately to the International court’s empty spots, scoring several points for Cambridge. However, Cambridge couldn’t beat International girls’ perfect teamwork, and the first set ended by 25-9..

 The second set was more competitive. Both teams tried their best, but it was Griffin girls who prevailed the overall game. Fabiana Zelada and Renata. Maggi of International made the most of their many great scoring chances.  Their team play was outstanding when Maggi dived for the ball that Paula Oliva of Cambridge strongly spiked, and set up  Zelda to re-spike and score. The Griffin girls again outlasted Cambridge, winning the second set 25-13

The International junior varsity girls volleyball team thereby won its place in the championship game against Cooperative next Thursday. 

 The Griffins won the first set 25-9, and the second 25-13.

Jaguars conquer Little Eagles 

 The Cooperative junior varsity girls volleyball team won its semifinal match against Christian Learning in straight sets Thursday in the Cooperative gym.
 Cooperative won the the opening set 25-7 and the second set 25-17.

Girls Varsity Soccer Semifinals

FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE -- Eagle goalie Sharon Gabler tries to save ball at same moment defender Tabitha Malloy tries to clear it. The ball popped loose and was tapped in for Griffins' first goal. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Griffins win 5-0 win over Eagles

By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning

The International girls varsity soccer team triumphed over the Christian Learning 5-0 on Tuesday at the Griffins' home field in a game that was much closer than the score suggests.

 Both teams were focused on offense starting off, and both goalies had to work hard in order to keep the other team scoreless. There were numerous corner kicks for both teams, but neither team was able to convert their corners into goals until about halfway through the first half, when the Griffins finally gained a lead.

 The Eagle goalie had just saved a shot on goal, but collided with a teammate jarring the ball loose. Griffin Maria Isabel Barrenechea was there to put her foot on it, sending the ball slowly rolling into the back of the net before anyone to knock it away.

The Eagles had their own opportunities to even the score, and they seemed to become even more determined to score with each missed chance. Eagle Mariela Salinas had a chance on a centering pass, but was unable to connect.There was another close call after good passing between Salinas, Abby Phillips, and seventh-grader Emily Ordoñez, but once again the Eagles failed to score.

 Both teams used a strategy of kicking long passes just past the opposing defense in hopes that their own players could outrun the defenders and catch up with the ball, but this was not successful.

 Then, as the first half was drawing to a close and everything seemed to be calming down, the Griffins struck
again. The ball was crossed to the center from the corner of the field, and somehow Griffin seventh grader Fabiana Zelada headed it in to score an unexpected and shocking goal.

 The Griffins finished the first half with a 2-0 lead, despite the support of a large cheering section for the Eagles.
 In the second half, the Griffins focused a bit more on defense to try to keep their lead. The Eagles still focused on offense, and they nearly scored multiple times.

 In one particular play, a pass right in front of the goal passed by three different Eagle players who were unable to connect with it to put it in the goal. 

 The Griffins at this point returned to the offense, passing the ball up the field before Matilde Gamarra took a shot from the edge of the penalty box. The shot went in, bringing the score to 3-0.

 The Eagles had two more near-misses right in front of the opposing goal before the Griffins were able to recover possession again.  The Griffins scored on a center that passed through the Eagle goalie's fingertips and was tapped in by Griffin Laura Maragaño, who was standing behind her.

 The Eagles, now desperate for a goal, nearly scored after the Griffin goalie mishandled a shot, but the ball was cleared out of the penalty box. The Griffins scored a fifth goal near the end of the game with a shot by Maria Victoria Gutierrez into the right side of the net. .

The outcome was a surprise in that the Eagles had won 1-0 in the last encounter between these two teams.

The win sets up an exciting final game between the Griffins and Jaguars. TheGriffins have lost twice to the Jaguars this season, but came close to winning the first game 2-1. The Griffins have definitely
improved since their last game against the Eagles, but the real question is whether or not they have improved enough to beat a Jaguar team that is notorious for dominating girls soccer, and has won every girls varsity championship since the start of the league.

 Theanswer will come next Tuesday as those two teams face off in one of the most anticipated games of recent years.

SHOCKER -- The second Griffin goal came during a melee in front of the Eagle goal when  little Fabiana Zelada (shown standing innocently next to Eagle defender on left) headed a crossing pass into the goal. The Eagles were stunned. Jonatan Muñoz, International. 

_____________________

Knights forfeit to undefeated Jaguars

Cambridge was unable to field a girls varsity soccer team Tuesday and so forfeited the match to Cooperative.
Discretion may have been the better part of valor for the Lady Knights, who had lost their two previous meeting with Cooperative by a combined score of 16-1. The stage is now set for International to take the final shot of the season at Cooperative, which has been undefeated and untied since 2008. No one can remember the Jaguar girls losing a soccer game, and it is possible that they have not lost a game in League history going back to 2005. Records are being checked. They were tied twice in 2008.
While the forfeit was unfortunate, especially for the Cooperative girls who were ready to play, but it's worth noting that this was the first, and probably last, forfeit this season, a welcome improvement from past years. 

JV Girls Soccer Semifinals

RISKY CATCH -- Knight Mako Ueno (23) catches Fernanda Gutierrez' smash. The flagrant foul earned Gutierreza a penalty shot, but the Cambridge goalie blocked it and so the tactic paid off.  Jonatan

Muñoz, International

Griffinettes take charge early

By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning
The International girls junior varsity soccer team defeated a Cambridge team with only eight players Tuesday on the International home field.

 The win puts International into the JV championship game against Cooperative

 Due to their lack of players,the Knights started the game off playing very defensively. The Griffins dominated in ball possession, and the ball stayed on the Knight's half of the field for most of the first half.

 The Griffins were finally able to break through the Knights' defense after many attempts as a loose ball in the penalty box was shot, rebounded, and then shot again for a goal Sophia Sciaron.

 Soon after, the Griffins struck again, with Antonia Maggi intercepting a short goal kick and  kicking it past the goalie and through the legs of a defender for a goal.

Later in the first half, the Griffins had another shot on goal, but a Knight caught the ball (rather than taking a hit right in the face) for an obvious foul and penalty kick. The Knights goalie blocked the penalty shot, however.

 The Griffins were back a short while later, with Sciaron scoring her second goal of the game to make the score 3-0 at the half.

In the second half, both teams played with eight players, and this evened the playing field. Cambridge was much more successful. They carried the ball into enemy territory numerous times and kept the Griffins from increasing their lead. However, the Griffins still dominated play with many close shots, including one that bounced off the crossbar and almost straight down. 

Late score gives win to Jaguars 

 The Cooperative junior varsity girls soccer team snatched a 2-1 victory over Christian Learning with a goal by Michelle Lederman in the closing minutes of the game.
  The win by the Jaguars sets up a JV championship game pitting them against the International Griffins. the same two schools will clash in the varsity championship.
 The Jaguars and Eagles had battled to a 1-1 tie in their previous meeting this season, and seemed to be heading for the same result in this game before Lederman capped a breakaway play when she took charge of a centering pass and banged it into the goal. Before then neither team's attackers had been able to escape the defense.
Maria Paula Aguirre had put the Jaguars ahead in the first half when she had been able to ricochet a crossing pass into the goal. Eva Brown had evened things up for the Eagles with a goal early in the second half.

Boys Varsity Volleyball Semifinals

NO STOPPING THIS ONE -- Eagle Caleb Ropp (2) powers a spike past attempted block by Griffin Federico Mathus (4). Jonatan Muñoz, International 

Griffins come from behind to win

By Sung Eun Song
International School 
The International boys varsity volleyball team had a little difficulty getting past Christian Learning in the playoff game Tuesday in their home gym. The Griffins lost the first set 19-25, but then took the second set 25-16 and had even less trouble in the third set, winning by 15-9.

The win put International into the championship game against Cooperative, which also won. 

The first set was very intense right from the beginning of the first set. Both teams fought each other point-by-point, with  neither able to open any  of them making any great margin over the other. They traded points in long rallies in which the ball went back and forth 15 times or more with both sides making powerful spikes, delicate placements, and intrepid receptions.

. The outstanding players of the first set were Jesse Hallock and Conroy Janzen. Janzen was a great attacker, who fired spikes so keen and sharp that they were completely unblockable. Hallock also played outstanding volleyball, dealing with balls flexibly. Thanks to their cooperative play, Christian Learning team won the first set 25-19.
 The second set was a bit different. As both teams were so great technically and physically, the team with fewer mistakes and more fluency started to take control. And that team was the Griffins. During the second set, Juan Narvaez  provided exciting moments with  little finesse taps just over the net that hit an open spot, and excellent blocking of the opponents’ strong smashes.

  The Griffins gradually built their lead, and won 25-16.

 In the third set, both teams started in determined fashion. After a tie at 6-6, however, the Griffins began to pull ahead, finally winning 15-9.

Jaguars pound out decisive victory

The undefeated Cooperative boys volleyball team had too much firepower for Cambridge Tuesday afternoon, and the Jaguars won the match in their home gym in straight sets.
The win puts them into the championship game against International, a team they have battled evenly this season, with each team taking one of the two matches played. In terms of the championship game the big news from this game may have been the return to action of Mateus De Carvalho, who hurt his ankle earlier in the season in a match against Christian Learning. He and senior captain Juan Alfredo Abuawad had served as the twin towers of the Cooperative offense, which last efficiency after De Carvalho's injury.
Neither Carvalho nor the Jaguar team was seriously tested in the match against Cambridge. The bigger Cooperative team served better, received better, and hit harder. The Jaguars won the first set 25-7, and then substituted liberally in the second set, which they won 25-12.

JV Boys Volleyball Semifinals

GIVE AND TAKE -- Griffin German Ferraris taps back a return. Jonatan Muñoz, International 

Little Griffins beat Eagles, 2-0

By Sung Eun Song
International School
 The International boys junior varsity volleyball team easily polished off Christian Learning in straight sets in the game played at International gym Tuesday. International won the first set 25-15, and then took the second set 25-12.
 International will now play Cooperative in the junior varsity championship game.

 International got off to the faster start in the opening set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The Griffins early dominance in the match was largely based on hard spikes and accurate serves.  The Little Eagles were almost able to catch up as they began to work together better. They closed the Griffin advantage to 12-10. 

  The game then seesawed for a while before the International boys strung together several points in a row, pulling themselves into a 22-15 lead again. The Christian Learning boys, who seemed to lose morale, could not get back into the game. The Little Griffins won the first set 25-15.

 The second set was a continuation of the first set. The game started with the Griffins’ taking a dominant lead and this time the Eagles couldn’t cut into the margin. The Griffins defeated the Eagles 25-12.

 Junior Jags overpower Knights

 The Cooperative junior varsity boys volleyball team made short work of Cambridge in their home gym Tuesday.
 The Jaguars won the first set 25-7 and had only marginally greater difficulty taking the second set 25-14. The Jaguars will now play International for the junior varsity championship. Cambridge and Christian Learning will fight it out in  the consolation game for third place.

Playoff Schedule Posted

Playoffs To Begin  Tuesday
 
With New Compressed Format

The Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League high commission decided Thursday, October 14, to cancel the rest of the regular season and proceed directly to the playoffs for soccer and volleyball..(See schedule at right.)
The action came after the forced postponement of last week's games because of unhealthy air conditions caused by excessive smoke. Those games, had they been played, would have concluded the season.
 However, it has been noted that there was little possibility that the outcome of those games could have had an important effect on the pairings for the playoffs.
 There are three races in which teams are tied for the League lead -- boys and girls varsity volleyball and girls junior varsity volleyball. In all three cases, International and Cooperative teams are tied with 4-1 records.
However, those teams were not scheduled to meet in the final week for what might have been tie-breaking contests, meaning that rankings would have depended on factors like points scored, or sets won anyway.
 The new playoff format combines the junior varsity and varsity semifinals. In previous years they had been played in different weeks.

Thursday's games also smoked out

More postponements -- on to 
playoffs?

The full slate of SCISL soccer and volleyball contests scheduled for today, Thursday, October 14, has been called off because of the high levels of smog in the air. The League's ruling body is scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss ways to amend the schedule. One possibility would be to cancel this week's games, which would have concluded the regular season, and go on to the playoffs next week in accordance with the original schedule, with seeding figured on the basis of the games played to date.

Further bulletins as they are received . . .

Tuesday's games postponed

"Smoked Out" Again

High levels of smoke and dust in  the air ("smust") once again forced a postponement of scheduled activities of the Santa Cruz Interscholastic Sports League on Tuesday, Oct. 12. The lack of rain and small prospect of rain in the weather forecasts leaves the status of Thursday's games in doubt as well. As soon as the schedule has been revised it will be posted on the the website. Please stand by  . . .

Boys Varsity Soccer

TANGLED TALE -- Griffin Francisco Gonzales' attempted shot on goal is foiled by Jaguar Esteban Sauto (19). Jonatan Muñoz, International.

Jaguars edge Griffins in squeaker, 1-0

 The Cooperative boys varsity soccer continued its unbeaten streak but was sorely tested by an upset-minded International team.
 The final score was 1-0 Jaguars in a game played on the International field in which defense dominated. The winning margin came when Jaguar Jose Manuel Vasquez headed home a free kick late in the first half to account for all of the scoring in the game.
 As a result of the win the Jaguars now hold undisputed title to first place in the League standings, but the Griffins have clearly established that they are a team to be reckoned with, and will be looking for another shot at spoiling the Jaguars season in the playoffs.(To do so, however, they will have to beat Cambridge, who tied the Griffins in their first meeting.)  The Jaguars and Griffins also tied in their first meeting, 0-0.
 The remarkable thing about the game was that even though the two teams played with great intensity, and have both shown that they can score goals this year, there were only a few other close calls on scoring attempts until the last ten seconds of the game when International hit the Cooperative goal twice -- once by Santiago Rosado, and then again by Gary Suarez a split-second later -- with a final try by Mauricio Nostas sailing high just before the final whistle blew.
 This is not to say there wasn't plenty of action. Both goalies were involved in crunching collisions, but in both instances the goalies had possession of the ball. Otherwise scoring possibilities seemed to crop up from time to time at both ends of the field, only to be quickly snuffed out by the defenses. It was as if neither team could get its offensive artillery unlimbered.

HIGH AND LOW -- High-flying Knight and Eagle Richard Ling (4) joust for control -- Katarina Holland, Christian Learning

Knights edge Eagles in squeaker, 1-0 

 On a beautiful evening for soccer, with a cool, light wind from the south and  no rain, The Cambridge boys varsity soccer team got by Christian Learning 1-0 in a match as close as the first one between the two teams,  just minus the scoring frenzy. Cambridge won the first game 4-3. 
__________

GET THE BALL -- Eagle Caleb Ropp (23) charges past Knight Matias Martinez (8)

 The outcome of the Cambridge Christian Learning and International-Cooperative games appeared to lock in the pairings for the first round of the playoffs. Christian Learning will take on Cooperative, the first-place team; Cambridge will tangle with International, who it will also play to close out the season next week. (Those two reams tied 2-2 in their previous meeting.) 

 Cambridge goalie Jose Luis Ribera, returning to that position Thursday  for the first time since his heroic exploits in the nets in last year's playoffs, certainly helped the Knights' cause, as he saved a couple of tough shots to preserve the shutout victory. 

  The game was pretty even throughout, with each side holding the momentum for a while and then yielding it back to the other side.  Cambridge scored the only goal relatively early in the contest on a nicely calibrated free kick by Federico Rocca from just outside the goal area on the right side. It hooked down over Eagle keeper Wesley Ordoñez and went into the far corner. 

  No one at the time figured it to be the only goal of the contest, but Ribera made it hold up.  The highlight reel included one shot by Caleb Ropp that found itself lodged about 6 meters up a tree behind the south end goal; a Cambridge cross that eluded all 4 players that tried to get a head or foot on it (two from each side).

 Ribera snagged the apparent equalizer when a cross by Luis Doi was headed into the goal by Trevor Reed about mid-way through the second half. (The rebound from that save also looked like a sure goal, but was shanked by a charging Eagle and never got to the goal line, so no harm done.) 

 The action at the close was end-to-end, and pretty intense, but Ribera managed to hold the Eagles scoreless, despite a flurry of late shots.  The Eagles head home with yet another tough loss even after a revamped lineup designed to produce more offense. 

(Keith Wilcke of Christian Learning provided this report.)

THE MIDDLE WAY -- Luis Doi (10) tries to find an opening between two Cambridge defenders. Katarina Holland, Christian Learning 

Boys JV Soccer

STOP THAT GRIFFIN! -- International forward Javier Garcia tries to thread his way through two Jaguar defenders. Jonastan Muñoz, International  

Griffin, Jaguar JVs in scoreless tie

The International and Cooperative junior varsity soccer teams fought to a 0-0 tie on International's field Thursday. 
The net effect of Thursday's outcome was to guarantee the Jaguars and Griffins an opportunity to play each other again in the first round of the playoffs. The Knights now have clinched first place, and will play Christian Learning in the first round.
__________


POETRY IN MOTION -- Griffin goalie Jose Luis Sciarrone's second save in postgame penalty shootout. Jonatan Muñoz, International

 International won the postgame penalty shootout for the extra point in the standings 3-2, but that outcome did not materially affect the playoff pairings. The outcome did confirm something that had become clear earlier in the season: International, which once seemed snake-bit by the prospect of a penalty shootout, has now more or less mastered the format. International teams have been in seven penalty shootouts this season, and has won them all.

Junior Knights wallop Eagles 7-1

 The Cambridge junior varsity boys soccer team took clear possession of first place with a decisive 7-1 win over Christian Learning in a game played on the Cooperative field Thursday.

 The victory clinches first place in the regular season League standings for Cambridge, setting up a first-round rematch between Cambridge and Christian Learning in the first round of the playoffs. International will play Cooperative again in the other pairing. 
 The dominant player for Cambridge due to relative his size and skill was Marco Antonio Ovando, who played a sort of rover position  all over the field in the JV game (and later played the entire varsity game as sweeper back). Knight Gabriel Alonso also played in both games.  
The little Knights' pattern of play consisted pretty much of  Ovando's picking up the ball at the defensive end and pushing it solo all the way down the left side of the field, followed by a centering pass that one of the other players rammed into the net.
  A virtual blizzard of shots on goal by Cambridge made the situation a kind of "whiteout" for the Eagles, both of whose goalies found balls streaking at them from close range and long distance. One of those goalies,  Jerome Malloy, even blocked  a shot with his face, but then had the rebound pounded home immediately afterwards as he clutched his face in agony.  
 The halftime score was 3-0, and the final score might have reached double figures for Cambridge if they hadn't taken several starters out of the game. 
  The Knights got two goals each from Juan Carlos Paniagua and Adrian Gamarra. Gabriel Alonso, Ovando and Daniel Kirigin got a goal each.

  Sami Frith tallied Christian Learning's goal, which represented the first goal the Junior Eagles have tallied this season.. 

Varsity Girls Volleyball

BYPASSING THE BLOCK -- Griffin Maria Victoria Gutierrez slams a spike past Jaguars' double block. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Griffins gain revenge, beat Jaguars

By Sung Eun Song

International School

 The International varsity girls volleyball team won a straight sets victory over Cooperative in their home gym Thursday by identical scores -- 25-20, 25-20. 
  The International win leaves the two teams where they have usually been over the past two seasons -- locked in a desperate battle for first place, both with 4-1 records. Co-operative won the first meeting between the two teams this year. Both coaches acknowledged that the caliber of play had ascended a level since that initial encounter.
 Both will presumably be trying to run up the score against their final opponents to beef up their sets won and points scored totals, which are used to break ties for playoff seeding. International plays Cambridge next week in its final game of the season, and Cooperative plays Christian Learning.

 Both teams started out well in the first set of Thursday's match, with neither team taking an advantage over the other. From the middle of the game, however, International began to take the lead with excellent serves and sharp spikes by Maria Victoria Gutierrez. Beatriz Nallar also contributed to International’s surge with her great gets on hard-hit balls.  The outstanding players for Cooperative were Aldana Roda and Ana Paula Peredo. 

 The crucial point in the set came with the Griffins ahead 23-20. There was a long rally with a lot of hard-hit balls and amazing defensive moves but both teams, but International took the point, making it 24-20, and that seemed to deflate the Jaguars. The end of the set then came quickly..

 In the second set, the International lead the game right from the start, getting out to a six-point lead at 8-2. However Cooperative improved the quality of its play as well, and started to catch up fast. Powerful spikes by  Roda  and Carla Limplas' blocks pulled the score almost even at 22-20.

 However, two great serves by Nallar and a smash by Gutierrez gave the Griffins the next three points, and  completed the Griffins victory.

Lady Knights dominate Eagles 2-0

 The Cambridge girls varsity volleyball team scored an impressive straight sets win over Christian Learning Thursday in a game played in the Cooperative gym. 

 The Knights took the first set 25-16, and then prevailed in the second 25-9.
The outcome settles with finality Cambridge's possession of third place in the League standings, and with that the marginally valuable opportunity to play the second-place team rather than the first-place team. Cambridge would presumably prefer to play Cooperative in the playoffs, a team they have twice won a set against, rather than International, which has shut them out twice. 

JV Girls Volleyball

Junior Jags beat Griffins 2-1

By Sung Eun Song 

International School 

The Cooperative girls junior varsity volleyball team narrowly defeated International in a three-set battle at the International gym Thursday. The set scores were 25-20, 20-25, and 15-7.

 Cooperative took control of the first set from its early stages. Dominique Germain made unblockable spikes using her height and Maria Paula Aguirre's passing and receiving skills were excellent. The Cooperative girls won the set 25-20.

 The second set was a much tougher battle. The lead went back and forth with neither team going ahead by more than 2 points. Pamela Suarez showed outstanding play in serving and spiking which contributed to International's eventual victory in the second set, 25-20.

 The momentum switched again in the third set, with Cooperative again dominating play. Germain was repeatedly set up by her teammates and no one on the International side could block her powerful spikes. In addition,  International girls made a number of  unforced errors and bad serves.

 The third set ended with Cooperative winning 15-7, giving the Cooperative girls victory in the match.

BIG RETURN -- Eagle Luana Velarde launches the ball back to Cambridge. Katarina  Holland, Christian Learning

Eaglettes victorious over Knights

The Christian Learning girls junior varsity defeated Cambridge in two hard-fought sets in a match played at Cooperative Thursday.

The Eagles squeezed out a 25-23 win in the opening set.and then took the second, which was almost as close, 25-21. 

Girls Varsity Soccer

SQUEEZE PLAY -- Griffin forward Matilde Gamarra can't quite get through the Jaguar defensive line. Jonatan Muñoz, International

Female Jags keep record perfect

 The Cooperative girls varsity soccer team continued its undefeated season with a 4-0 win over International on the Griffins field Tuesday.
 The game had promised to be a more climactic affair after International had come close to beating or tying the Jaguars in their first meeting of the year, which Cooperative had won 2-1 on a goal that was accidentally scored by a Griffin defender. However, the Griffins have lost a few key players to injuries since then, while the Jaguars appear to have, if anything, gotten stronger. The victory clinched first place for the Jaguars in the regular season.
 The score was quite respectable, however, until midway through the second half. The Jaguars took the lead early in the first half when left winger Fernanda Vaca Diez whacked home a shot. Cooperative got its second  goal late in the half on a Griffin defensive miscue that deflected the ball into the Griffins own goal,
 The score stood 2-0 in favor of Cooperative at halftime.
 International fought hard to get back into the game in the second half but its passing attack failed to click, and  forward Laura Maragaño, its chief scoring threat this season, could break loose. Both teams seemed to suffer from the strain of playing two games in two days, but the Griffins seemed more worn down than the Jaguars by the middle of the second half.
 With the suddenness of a summer storm Cooperative's fleet forwards accomplished a series of breakaways that put the game out of reach, and showed what kind of offensive firepower the Griffins had kept bottled up until then.
 First Vaca Diez struck for her second goal of the day in a on-on-one confrontation with Griffin goalies Stephanie Gioto in which Gioto didn't really have a chance. Within no more than two minutes, Maria Jose Rivero struick up the middle in similar fashion.
And it could have been worse. Tania Landivar, striking from the right side, banged a shot off the upright and then was robbed on a brilliant reflexive kick save by Giotto.

Eagles edge Lady Knights 1-0


By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning
The Christian Learning varsity girls soccer team seemed to carry the momentum from their victory over International Monday into Tuesday's game against Cambridge, and won this second game by the same 1-0 score.
 The first half was was fairly uneventful, with almost no shots on goal by either team. However, the Eagles dominated the play and had a few chances to score on corner kicks, but Cambridge played error-free defense. The half ended 0-0.
 As the second half progressed, the Eagles got closer and closer to scoring a goal, until Abby Phillips finally got a clear shot at the opposing goal in the closing minutes. The Knights goalie tried to pick up the goal, but it slipped from her hands and 7th grader Emily Ordoñez was in the right place at the right time to tap in the carom. 
It was Ordoñez' third goal of the day -- the first two had come in the JV game -- giving her a kind of hat trick for the afternoon. 
 The Eagles were able to hold off the Knights for the rest of the game, which ended 1-0 in the Eagles' favor. Much of the credit for the shutout goes to seventh grader Luana Velarde, the Christian Learning goalie, who had also played the entire JV game.
She played by the JV and varsity games Monday as well, and recorded shutouts in three of the four gamess over the two-day period. (The Eagles usual varsity goalie, senior Sharon Gabler,  is in Australia attending her brother's wedding.) 

This story was corrected on April 8. It had originally credited Velarde with four shutouts. However, she was nicked for a goal in the International JV game, which ended in a tie.)
 The Cambridge defense had some close calls. A desperate charge by a Knight defender kicked wide an attempt by Abby Phillips that had seemed destined for the far side of the net. Jessica Smith almost tallied a few minutes later when her high, booming kick bounced over the Cambridge goalie's head, but it dinged off the crossbar on the Cooperative field's goal, which is lower than regulations stipulate.
 Cambridge came closest to scoring when Christian Learning sweeper back misplayed a ball sent into her zone, and an alert Cambridge forward nearly slipped the ball past Velarde. The forward and goalie collided and fell to the ground, but both were able to continue playing. Cambridge had lost its starting goalie in the first half after taking a ball in the face during a multi.player scramble in front of the Cambridge goal. 
 (Keith Wilcke of Christian Learning contributed to this report.)