As November turns into December, high school winter sports begin serious competition. Even though league seasons won’t start until January 2025, soccer games are now being played at full tilt.
The girls soccer squad has started off undefeated in their first four matches, winning three more times following their 3-0 season-opening shutout against St. Helena on Nov. 14. In that game, senior Julia Dolph had two goals and an assist, while Maddie Munselle also found the back of the net. Lila Kreck and freshman Maria Castro both had assists, and goalkeeper Kimberly Lopez batted away every threat.
Five days later, on Nov. 19, the Greyhound girls had a much more challenging game, earning a hard-fought victory in Cloverdale against the Eagles. Freshman June Sullivan started off scoring in the first quarter, and Healdsburg led 2-1 at the half. Dolph had two goals in the second half, as the Eagles drew close with a pair of their own. Dolph kicked the game winner in the closing minutes, for a 4-3 victory.
The winning streak continued against Napa on Monday, Nov. 25, built around freshman Maria Castro’s contributions. She made two of the three Greyhound scores, the other being a corner kick by Lucy Behrens.
The win improved the Hounds to 3-0 on the season, with a fourth game played against St. Vincent in Healdsburg this Monday, Dec. 2. The St. Vincent girls went 1-12-2 last year, which included a forfeit loss against Healdsburg in December 2023. This Dec. 2 game was the first one on their schedule this season, and perhaps predictably, St. Vincent came up short.
Dolph and Olivia Saini each scored in the first half, giving the Hounds a 2-0 lead at halftime. Vanessa Castro extended the lead with a penalty kick conversion, followed by another goal from Dolph plus scores from Behrens and Maria Castro. Goalkeepers Lopez and Kreck combined efforts to secure the clean sheet for the team’s second shutout, 4-0.
From this point on the soccer season picks up, with a Wednesday night match against Vallejo’s Jesse Bethel in Healdsburg (results too late for press time), followed by rematches against St. Helena (Dec. 6) and Cloverdale (Dec.10).
Boys Soccer
Meanwhile the boys are fielding another strong team this year. They, too, started their season on Nov. 20 with a win against Cloverdale, a one-sided 6-0 victory. Things were a bit tighter on Nov. 27, as they battled Rancho Cotate all the way but could not surmount a first-half goal to lose 1-0.
The tables turned a few days later, as the Greyhounds scored twice in the first half and held on for an exciting 3-1 win over Windsor on Saturday, Nov. 30. That put their record at 2-1 to start the season.
But things evened up this week as the boys lost an away game against Ukiah, 3-0, on Dec. 3. It is to be followed by twice-weekly games until the Christmas break. League play begins in earnest on Jan. 16, 2025, against Piner High.
Hi. That’s Josie Mork not Julia Dolph. Julia is in the far background of that pic. Best, Julia’s Mom.