Girls’ soccer squads in it to win it

First-round CIF action is Friday


Excitement is in the air for area high school girls’ soccer teams.

Westlake, which won its sixth Marmonte League title in 10 seasons with head coach Frank Marino, hopes a flood of injuries won’t derail its postseason.

The Warriors, who shared this year’s league title with Royal, open the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs at Trabuco Hills on Friday at 5 p.m.

Westlake’s injury report looks like a list of wounded after the Battle of Antietam.

Arielle Ship has a sprained ankle. Nicole Gilbert broke two bones in her wrist. Jessica Garnett has a hand ailment. Briana Linares has missed time with an ankle injury. Mary Case missed the season with a torn ACL in her knee. Taylor Perry pulled a hamstring.

Perry will likely play, but Ship and Linares are questionable, the coach said.

“We’re hoping by Friday to have a few players back and able to play for us,” Marino said. “We have to think it will be a competitive matchup.”

Westlake, 9-6-5 overall, has dealt with adversity all season.

“We’ve found ways to win,” Marino said. “Some games have been a struggle and a battle, but we’ve found ways to win games. All we have to do is find a way to win this playoff game.”

Bridget Berman, Chloe Wheeler, Megan Moore, Julia Ozello and Bianca Riazi bolster the Warriors’ lineup.

While Westlake is accustomed to success, Calabasas has often struggled on the pitch.

Not anymore.

The Coyotes reached the playoffs for the first time since joining the Marmonte in 2002. They made their first postseason appearance in 15 years, according to athletic director Larry Edwards. Calabasas, an at-large squad, played a wild-card game at Mira Costa on Wednesday.

“It’s huge for these girls,” said Calabasas head coach Julie Scheppele.

“They have come so far. They have fought every single game. We’ve been the underdog every single game. It’s a very exciting accomplishment.”

Under the guidance of the first-year head coach, the Coyotes entered the playoffs 7-7-6 overall and 5-5-4 in the Marmonte.

Calabasas turned its fortunes around during a mid-January home game against Agoura. The Coyotes trailed 1-0 before pulling out a 2-1 victory.

“There’s so much talent on this team, but one of the biggest things we focused on was really building a team,” said Scheppele, who has played professional soccer in the Czech Republic.

“The other thing was really just building confidence. These girls didn’t know how good they were. As soon as we won that first game (against Agoura), the floodgates opened. Our entire season changed.”

Center midfielders Taylor Hobson and Jamie Fink have been crucial to stopping penetration and creating offense, the coach said.

Defenders Lauren Busansky, Allison Oliver, Kaitlyn Chong and Allison DelGizzi have been unsung heroes, Scheppele said.

Forward Sarah Gordon, midfielder Olivia Greenwald and Texas Tech-bound goalkeeper Gabby Kaufman have also played well.

Oak Park, which finished second in the Tri-Valley League to Oaks Christian, opens the Division 5 playoffs on Friday at 3 p.m. at home against La Canada.

La Canada upset the Eagles in the 2009 postseason.

 

"We’re ready for it," OPHS head coach Mark Zeolla said. "We’re peaking at the right time, and we’re excited to start."

Oak Park (13-6-1 overall) prepared for the playoffs by playing Division 1 and 2 teams in the preseason. In the vaunted TVL, the Eagles faced top-seeded Oaks Christian and playoff squads La Reina and St. Bonaventure.

Oak Park will count on a big game from senior Erika Kim, who recently signed a scholarship with Clemson. Kim leads the way offensively with 15 goals and seven assists.

Freshman Nicolette Herdegen, stopper Rebecca Varley, defender/outside midfielder Rachel Medina and center midfielder Ciara Zeolla are playing well on the pitch.

Zeolla leads the Eagles with 15 assists.

La Reina (10-8-4) played a wild-card game Wednesday at Marantha. Leading goal-scorer Jillian DeGennaro, goalkeeper Ali Parisi and midfielder Rebecca Koval are Regent standouts.

Oaks Christian (15-3-4) plays host to Orange on Friday at 3 p.m.

Viewpoint (12-8-4) finished second in the Liberty League. The Patriots will play a Division 6 home game against Sage Hill at 3 p.m. Friday.



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