Local soccer fans have been thrilled to witness a series of strong games from the girls team at the tail end of 2024. From the opening game against St. Helena on Nov. 14 through last Friday’s match against Gateway in San Francisco, the Greyhounds have run up an impressive nine wins in a row without a defeat.
Friday’s game was also their fourth straight win on the road, showing the team’s comfort with travel to an opponent’s yard. And note this: The single goal scored by the Gators was keeper Kim Lopez’s first in three games, following shut-out wins over John Swett, 5-0, and Cloverdale, 4-0.
At the Dec. 10 Cloverdale game, the most recent played at HHS, June Sullivan scored in the first half off an assist by Maddie Munselle to put the Hounds up 1-0 at the break. But Sullivan wasn’t done for the night: She scored two more goals in the second half, with Renata Maturana also finding the back of the net.
The Lady Greys were more dominant two nights later against Swett, winning 5-0 on goals by five different players: freshmen Olivia Saini and Sullivan, sophomore Lila Krek and junior Lucy Behrens, and senior Sophia Saini. Munsell had two assists as well.
Assistant coach Peter Mork called out the defense in particular, who did not allow a goal in three straight games. “In the month of December the team was 5-0 and the team, anchored by the starting defensive back line of senior Lola Hagen, senior Sophia Saini, and freshman Wendy Garcia only allowed two goals.”
One of those two goals came in the Dec. 20 Gateway game, and it was a self-inflicted goal at that. Vanessa Castro scored early in the first half off an assist by Maddie Munselle. June Sullivan made the score 2-0 in the second half but Gateway pulled within one after an “own goal” on a corner kick. The Hounds were able to hold on for the 2-1 win.
With the calendar year ending, the team will take a couple of weeks off before returning to action on Jan. 8, 2025, against RUP on the Healdsburg pitch, 7pm.
