A lot of things have to go right for a soccer team to post a
winning record, not the least of which is maintaining a healthy
group of athletes throughout the season.
That has not been the case for the Lady Greyhound varsity soccer
squad during the first two weeks of the pre-season, as the team
continues to struggle with nagging injuries. Last week, the ladies
fell in games to Piner, 1-0 and Montgomery, 4-1, despite some
courageous efforts by their walking wounded.
³We¹ve got some tough opponents scheduled in the pre-season,
including Montgomery and Maria Carrillo and to stay up with them,
we need a healthy team,² said Hounds coach Herbert Lemus. ³But
against other teams like Sonoma Academy and Piner, these are games
we need to win.²
The list of injured starters that already included junior goalie
Chelsea Bingham (broken ankle), Tianna Barbier (knee) and Colby
Payne (tailbone), got even longer last week after freshman defender
Claire Bingham suffered a hyper-extended knee against Montgomery on
Thursday. Barbier, Payne and Claire Bingham are considered ³day to
day² in their recovery as they try to play though their injuries.
Chelsea Bingham could be lost for the season, depending on how her
rehab goes when the cast is removed next week.
The ladies traveled to Piner on Wednesday in what turned out to
be a frustrating outing, getting the better of the action
throughout the first half, yet trailing 1-0 at intermission.
Healdsburg appeared to have tied the game just before the half, but
an apparent goal by Maria Gerstley was nullified when she was
called offsides. The Lady Prospectors fought off several Healdsburg
scoring threats in the second half to escape with a 1-0 win.
The Lady Hounds (1-4) entertained perennial power Montgomery on
Thursday, showing both heart and skill in the early going.
Gerstley, emerging as one of the team leaders on offense, scored
the game¹s first goal on a header following a direct kick from
Marlee Spadoni.
Healdsburg maintained the lead until 23 minutes were gone in the
half, but a pair of quick goals by the speedy Lady Vikings put
Montgomery ahead to stay. Healdsburg had its share of scoring
chances in a hard-fought second half before eventually falling
4-1.
³We may have gotten a little rattled after Montgomery scored its
first goal,² noted Lemus. ³With a team that¹s as fast as
Montgomery, you need to possess the ball and try to slow the game
down as much as possible. After they scored, we started playing to
their strength.²
Despite the setback, the close loss to nationally ranked
Montgomery should be considered a positive step for the team as
they prepare for the up-coming league season. A bright spot has
been the play of athletic freshman goalie Elizabeth King, who has
done an admirable job.
This week, Healdsburg travels to take on Maria Carrillo on Sept.
6 (after press time) before coming home to host Eureka on Friday,
Sept. 8 in a 7 p.m. contest at HHS. The ladies open the SCL
campaign next Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Windsor. Game times for the JV
and varsity are 5 and 7 p.m.
