LJ FH 1, Cathedral Catholic 3

By Ed Piper

After fighting the good fight, yet falling 3-1 to visiting Cathedral Catholic in their last regular season game, La Jolla plays the waiting game until Wednesday night, Nov. 10, to find out the Vikings' placement in the CIF Division 1 playoffs, which begin Sat., Nov. 13.

Senior Nora Joyce, who has provided a lot of leadership on first-year coach Amanda Warford's team, scored the equalizer with 16:41 left in the first half for a 1-1 score.

The Dons then scored the go-ahead goal with 5:42 left in the half. They followed that with an insurance goal in the second half, holding the hosts without another goal.

Warford, calm, teaching, accentuating the positive as always this season, told her players at halftime to look up when they passed, so that they could spot their teammates.

"See the space" is a common mantra the coach recites to team members, to remind them to be aware of where they are on the field and to distribute themselves position-wise for an effective offensive and defensive placing.

She said, "You're playing good hockey."

Sophomore Serene Liu did her defensive magic again, swiping the ball cleanly from an opponent. Junior Morgan Hansen was super active from her center spot, handling the ball a lot and advancing it against Cathedral's constant pressure.

Nikki Collins, the only other senior on the squad, with Joyce playing her final regular season game at home, pursued, fought, blocked, and did all the other things she has done for four years on two different artificial surfaces on the Edwards Stadium field.

Collins, who in her freshman year was a tiny player measuring less than five feet tall, has played for at least three different coaches, including Warford, Lisa Griffiths, who coached at LJHS for two years, and Athletic Director Paula Conway.

Collins had the advantage of having played soccer for several years, so she came in with the athleticism and experience of playing competitive sports, just as many of her teammates also did.

The Vikings play in the tough City Western League, atop of which Serra reigns undefeated as the repeat league champion.