Whenever possible, SoCoNews will publish highlights from the Healdsburg Youth Soccer League as written by league officials. Below is a recap of week three of the fall season.
U-12 boys
The Healdsburg Black Panthers fell 0-1 in a close match against Windsor at home. Oscar Stewart played a phenomenal game in goal in the first half and came close to scoring in the second half when he missed right of the post by inches. Liam Wilch played well on both sides of the field, and also nearly scored. In the second half Matisse Van Keirsbilck was denied a goal after an excellent save by the goalie. Asher Hildreth was the next Black Panther that nearly found the back of the net after dribbling through three players but his shot was also saved by the Windsor keeper. London Hughes, Liam Mckenzie and Peyton Mauritson were complimented by their coaches for leaving everything they had out on the field.
U-12 girls
The Healdsburg Devils traveled to Windsor for their final away game against the Killer Whales. Once again it was a close match in front of an energized crowd. The Killer Whales opened up the scoring in the first half but the Devils responded using a give and go play off a corner kick with Chiara Mork assisting Madeleine Hertzberg to even the score 1-1. Madeleine Hertzberg rose to the occasion once again to put the Devils ahead 2-1 in the second half. Maebel Evans, Fiona O’Sullivan and Bella Margugilo were relied on heavily to keep the Killer Whales off the score sheet in the closing minutes and all had excellent games. Savannah Hayes and Bella Abel also had key plays during the game. Final score 2-1.
U-14 boys
The Healdsburg Red Ravens faced off against the Healdsburg Aztec Warriors in an exciting local game. The Aztec Warriors took an early lead behind Henry Smith’s opening goal but the Ravens came roaring back with two goals by Abran Gonzalez to give the Ravens a 2-1 lead at the half. The Aztec Warriors rallied in the second half with Silvestre Castro scoring two goals, Mason Radelfinger adding one, and Henry Smith scoring a second goal of the night for a final score of 5-2 . The following day the Aztec Warriors traveled to Willits the following day for a rematch on the away field. They were victorious 10-1 with a balanced scoring attack. Frank Rea had an impressive goal during the match. Next weekend both the Red Ravens and Aztec Warriors will travel to Konocti to finish their season in a tournament of U14 boys teams.
U-14 girls
The Healdsburg Cobras were victorious in Windsor 5-0. Coach Brian Saini complimented all his players on the victory and finishing off a strong regular season. Sophia Baldo and Lily Grace Brauninger provided key goals for the Cobras while Stevie Mitchell’s efforts on defense were key to the victory. The Cobras now prepare for a November 20th trip to the Founders Cup in Sacramento to compete against top teams from across Northern California. This will be the first team to represent HYSA at the event in any division.
U-16 boys
The Healdsburg U16 Boys split a pair of games in Santa Rosa winning against Napa and falling against a strong Sonoma team. Commenting on the games, coach Diego Gonzalez complemented the entire squad. “I really want to give credit to the entire team and all the hard work they have put into becoming better players and increasing their understanding of the game,” he said. “Flavio Furherer, Brandon Hausman, Antonio Madrigal, Santi Medrano, Giovanni Miguel, Max Morris, Giovanni Lopez, Bryan Ramirez, Luis Rojas, Otto Stuhlmuller, Jeremiah Tinsley, Victor Villarreal and Christian Zavala. I’m really so proud of all of them.”
U-16 girls
The Healdsburg Red Devils notched another home victory 2-0 against their Santa Rosa Empire opponents. Julia Dolph opened up the scoring for the Red Devils to put the home side up 1-0 in the first half. In the second half Stelli Stevens found the back of the net again for the Devils in the second half and nearly added a second goal off a header from a corner kick. Brooklynn Graves also came close to scoring with a thunderous shot that hit the goal post. Tehya Mitchell had the save of the season coming out of goal on a one-on-one break away and deflecting the shot to preserve her clean sheet. Mckenzie Rigney, Sophia Saini, Jennifer Sanchez and Zayra Jimenez Mendoza all played strong games in the midfield while Meher Dhiman and Jimena Pacheco locked down the defense. Siena Sbragia and Lorelei Stuhlmuller played phenomenally on both ends of the field. Estrella Santiago was having one of her best games of the season when an ankle injury took her out of the game. The crowd cheered her effort as she was helped off the field.
