By Ed Piper
La Jolla coach Amanda Combs Warford was emotional. "I don't want to cry, but you played one of the best games I have ever seen you play," she told her team after a closely-played 1-0 loss to field hockey superpower Serra at Edwards Stadium Friday afternoon, Oct. 19.
There was a celebratory spirit, despite the setback, as Warford jumped in with her players for team photos by parents and press after the postgame chat on the track surrounded the field. "Serious" team photos, then "fun" ones, with the players making faces.
Not a long face to be seen.
The lone score by the Lady Q's came late in the first half, with only about six minutes left on the clock.
The rest of the time, the Viking players ground out their coverage on defense and battled for shooting opportunities on offense.
Long-time coach and architect of the Serra program, Laurie Berger, was a presence on the visiting bench. She stepped down as head coach after decades in her leading role, but the veteran coach continues as an assistant to the program. Combs knows her.
Serra set a state CIF record last month with its 89th win in a row, spanning the last four seasons, beginning in 2015. Goalie Lexi Steigerwald hadn't given up a goal this season, either.
Another piece of good news, besides the great effort by the Viking team in the narrow loss to a team that hasn't lost a game in that long span, was that La Jolla defender Serene Liu was selected to the All-Tournament team in the recent Serra tourney.
"Coaches always come and ask, 'Who is that center back?'," Combs told Serene and her parents after the fun photos. Now a junior, the defender, combining exceptional speed with tenaciousness, made a huge jump in her game last year as a sophomore. The strength in her game has continued this year.
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