Lady Lions win a pair on pre-season soccer circuit

The El Molino ladies were out of the blocks quickly in varsity
soccer action last week, soundly defeating Potter Valley, 6-0, and
Elsie Allen, 9-1. The Lions finished off the busy stretch with a
hard-fought, 1-0 loss to Rancho Cotate.
Although the fast start may have been at the expense of a pair
of overmatched teams, the narrow loss to a talented Rancho squad
bodes well for a program on the rise.
“So far, the team is playing well together,” reported head coach
Julius Ujeh. “Our freshmen are doing a great job and we’re getting
strong leadership from our seniors.”
The floodgates were wide open in the Lion’s season opener
against Potter Valley on Sept. 3, as El Mo got a flurry of goals
from freshmen; Sarah Clemens, Isabella Ruiz, and Kristine Barbaria,
and seniors; Shallyn Farris, Andie Bardella, and Andrea Quintero.
Credit Taelar-Rae Gemini with an assist and goalie Ana Lisa
Speicher with the shutout.
It was more of the same against Elsie Allen, with Clemens, Ruiz,
and Barbaria leading a relentless assault on the Lobo defenses. The
9-1 final score represented one of the highest scoring totals for
the Lions in years.
El Molino relied heavily on its senior leadership in a 1-0 loss
to Rancho Cotate, led by senior captains Savannah North
(midfielder), Sarah Scott (defender) and goalie Speicher. The Lions
played the Wildcats on even terms for much of the game before time
ran out.
El Molino (2-1) will open the SCL campaign tonight (Thursday,
Sept. 10, 5/7 p.m.) at Sonoma, and return home to host Petaluma
next Wednesday, Sept. 15 (4/5:30 p.m.).
“This week will tell us whether or not we can compete in the SCL
this year,” predicted Ujeh.
Analy set for league campaign
The Lady Tigers (4-1) will also kick off the SCL season this
week with a tough stretch of games, beginning tonight (Thursday,
Sept. 10) at Petaluma, followed by a Tuesday, Sept. 15 clash
against visiting Casa Grande. Start times beginning with the JV are
5 and 7 p.m.