High school girls soccer
It’s been a great start for local high school girls soccer teams, with both Analy and El Molino notching recent wins on the pre-league circuit.
The Tigers (4-2) opened the season last month with a pair of losses against strong North Bay League opponents Casa Grande (3-0) and Maria Carrillo (1-0), but bounced back in a big way on Sept. 2-3 at the annual Eye of the Tiger Tournament in Arcata.
“In both games (against Casa Carrillo) we tinkered with formation and this could have affected our play,” Analy coach Brittney Briones said. “The girls appeared a little rusty playing with each other, but each game, the girls continued to learn from each other and work together, not as individuals.”
The Tigers were hitting on all cylinders at the Eye of the Tiger tourney last weekend, opening up on Friday with a 2-0 win over host Arcata. Analy made short work of McKinleyville in game two in a 6-0 win, and went on to beat Fortuna (4-0) and Windsor (1-0) to capture the championship.
Goal scorers for the Tigers included Amanda Nebozuk, Kaitlyn Lane, Sierra Atkins, Lilly Zimmer, Tannin Klunis, Laney Klunis, Clarie Brown and Jennah Copeland. Jenny Copeland, filling in at goalie due to an injured starter, recorded four shutouts for Analy.
“They put together great opportunities for each other and moved the ball well,” Briones said of her charges. “Jenny (Copeland) made several goal saving dives and helped us pitch a couple shutouts. The girls grew together as a team each game and continued to learn from each other,” she added.
The Tigers will open defense of their Sonoma County League title on Thursday, Sept. 8 when they host arch-rival Petaluma. Analy will visit Elsie Allen next Tuesday, Sept. 13. Both varsity matches start at 7 p.m.
“With preseason over and Petaluma as our first league game, we will need to continue to build off of our success and work together to make it a great season,” Briones said, citing several key injuries for her players heading into league. “If we continue to put forth the effort we have shown this past weekend and support one another along the way, we can and will compete for the league title and NCS.”
Lions notch wins
The Lions didn’t take long to get first-year coach Emily Farrant a victory, scoring wins over Roseland University Prep (2-0) and Credo (6-0) in their first two preseason matches. Last week, El Mo scored a 3-0 win over St. Helena. Goal scorers included freshman Hayley Sheridan and veterans Carly Hittenmiller and Lily Dittman.
El Mo (3-0) will continue pre-league action this Friday, Sept. 9 in a 6 p.m. match with visiting Fort Bragg, and open the SCL campaign on Monday, Sept. 12 at Sonoma Valley (4 p.m.) The Lions will visit Petaluma next Tuesday, Sept. 13 in a 7 p.m. start.
