LJ g soccer 0, Oceanside 1

La Jolla marked and fought and passed and defended, but lost 1-0 to Oceanside in girls soccer Thursday, Dec. 11, on its home turf.

The Pirates scored the lone goal of the game in the 27th minute of the first half. It was all they needed.

Viking coach Kristin "Jonesy" Jones was noticeably vocal during the game in her urgings and her remonstrations of her players.

Early in the second half, LJHS sophomore forward Emma McCall-Delgado was involved in a collision in which a Oceanside player's head came up and hit her under the jaw. McCall-Delgado was shaken up and didn't return to the game. But she appeared to be okay after trainer Ben Howe treated her.

La Jolla traveled to Carlsbad for an away non-league game the following day, Friday, Dec. 12, in rainy conditions.


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ g BB 38, Montgomery 50

The La Jolla girls basketball team, with only six players suited up, fought visiting Montgomery pretty evenly until senior guard Jenna Harmeyer had to sit out after committing her third foul with five minutes left in the second quarter, and dropped a 50-38 decision Thursday, Dec. 11.

New varsity coach Johnnie Horne started returning juniors Satori Roberson and Paulina Cardenas, and newcomers freshman Rebecca Saul, a freshman, and Melisa Conroy, a senior, alongside Harmeyer, who handled much of the ballhandling against the Aztecs' full-court press.

Conroy was somewhat humorous when she replied to a question about having only one "s" in the spelling of her first name: "I'm from Bulgaria. I'm not American," putting a lot of emphasis on the word "American". She seemed to bring a bit of spunk to her role in the game.


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ b BB 66 El Capitan 45 - Game On Sports Challenge

La Jolla rode a 30-5 streak in the second quarter to swamp visiting El Capitan and take a decisive 66-45 win in the Game On Sports Challenge Dec. 8. Sophomore guard Reed Farley had 19 points, including two three-pointers, with six assists in limited playing time.

In one sequence during the run that got the small midweek Vikings crowd oohing-and-aahing, 6'6" center Alex Pitrofsky blocked a Vaquero's shot, then immediately after the leaping Farley blocked the shot of a Vaquero who grabbed the loose ball and tried to follow with a score.

La Jolla trailed 16-11 with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. Once the Vikings ignited, they tied El Capitan at 16, then blew by on trip-after-trip downcourt. At halftime, the red-and-black led 41-21. The game was virtually decided by then.


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ g soccer: Helen coming back strong

Viking keeper Helen Lee leaps to ensure

that a La Costa Canyon attempt safely

flies over the goal Dec. 5.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Helen Lee spent eight months sidelined from playing sports after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her left leg. She missed the La Jolla High volleyball season this past fall as a result, as well as sports last summer, after sitting out the end of basketball season last winter as that team went to the CIF Division III Finals. She also missed lacrosse season last spring, her favorite sport.

 

Says Lee of her starting position as goalkeeper on the Viking soccer team, "I love jumping and diving to make saves, so usually when I'm in goal I'm having a lot of fun. I play my best when I'm having the most fun."

 

Such a positive presence on the team, even while injured--Helen kept the scorebook during games in volleyball--Helen says, "As the soccer team starts the season, I try to keep in mind how lucky I am to be playing this game.

 

"If we win or lose, at least I am able to play. Having not been able to play competitive sports like this for eight months has made me so humble. I am so incredibly lucky every time I am able to step on a field and play a sport I love with coaches I respect and a team I love."

 

Describing her game as a keeper, she says, "I think one of my strengths is that having played soccer as a midfielder before, I am able to understand what is going through the striker's mind as they shoot the ball.

 

"Likewise, as the ball moves downfield or the ball is crossed, I can react quicker because I can understand the patterns of play."

 

Lee (purple jersey in background) listens with

teammates to La Jolla coach Kristin Jones

in halftime talk during Maverick game.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

 

 

Her left knee, understandably, is on her mind as she comes back on the athletic field. She is very honest about that. "My knee is always a concern when I'm playing, and it always will be. At first, I was definitely hesitant on diving on my left side, but it hasn't caused me any trouble at all.

 

"What irritates it the most is punting." She is a lefty punter.

 

Regarding academics, the La Jolla High junior says, "My favorite classes right now are my AP U.S. History class and my AP Psychology class. They both are very interesting to me."

 

Looking ahead two years, Helen says, "In terms of college, my dream college would be one that is highly academic but still has lots of school spirit. My hope would be that I could play either club or even school lacrosse at whatever college I attend. I'd love to be as involved in college as I am in high school.

 

"I'm very interested in health and studying anything about the human body, whether it's mentally or physically. Career-wise, there (are) just too many (choices) to choose from for now."

 

She spends a lot of time alone in goal while her teammates are downfield battling on offense. How does she occupy her mind to stay engaged? "I come up with different scenarios in my head of what I think they (opponents) might do. Who their strongest players are. Whether they're more likely to attack from the side or down the middle.

 

"I just try to be as prepared as possible for any situation when the ball gets close."

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LJ b soccer 4, Mt. Miguel 2 - Coronado Invitational

Vikes' Lukas Keeling makes it a hat trick in the

first seven minutes of play with this left-footer at

close range on the Mt. Miguel goal.

(Photo by Ed Piper) 

Lukas Keeling let forth a blast of three goals within a handful of minutes to open the game, and La Jolla hung on to defeat Mt. Miguel 4-2 in its last game of pool play in the Coronado Soccer Invitational Sat., Dec. 6.

It was as if all the Vikings' frustrations after two tough losses to Open Division playoff teams to open the season were focused in the midfielder's barrage, which began with a goal in the third minute of play and ended moments later in the sixth minute of play. At that point, Coach Marcos Gonzales pulled Keeling out to give his teammates an opportunity to score.

Gonzales had told his players before the game that he wanted to see shots on goal. They took him to heart early on.

But after Keeling's instant hat trick, the La Jolla scoring well went dry. Still, Gonzales was pleased after not seeing his team score in the opening period in their previous games against CIF powers Poway and Hilltop, praising his players with "Good activity" several times.

Keeling's third goal was a classic soft nudge from close range, as he lifted the ball with his left foot over the Matador goalie's left shoulder and into the goal. The score demonstrates that deftness often involves precision rather than brute force of blasting the ball, in which the case the ball would have soared over the goal or slammed into the goalie's body.

Each of the goals came off the midfielder's hot left foot. The first one skimmed by the goalie on his right side, the second to his left into the corner of the net. Keeling, not demonstrative in his reaction to his flurry of goals, had a wry grin on his face as he took an early spot on the bench. Gonzales only reinserted him late in the game when Mount Miguel threatened.

The Vikings, following a halftime breather and re-marshaling of energies, came right out and scored again in the person of Andrew Estrella in the opening minutes of the second half to put LJHS up 4-0. They had not led in a game yet this young season, and now they led by a whopping four goals.

But by the midpoint of the second period, momentum had shifted as Gonzales made several substitutions to give most of the roster substantial playing time. Mt. Miguel, already angry over going down so quickly 3-0 in the first half, channeled that ire into two goals and trailed only 4-2 with eight minutes remaining in regulation time. Faces formerly smiling on the La Jolla sidelines became grimmer as the game tightened up with the real possibility that Mt. Miguel could come back.

Both teams each had lost both their previous games in pool play, so this was a chance to end the preliminary phase of the annual Coronado tournament with at least one win. La Jolla players discussed the fact that had they gotten out with a tie against either Poway or Hilltop, they would have had a chance to advance to the winners bracket with a win against Mt. Miguel.

La Jolla held on, and took its first win under Gonzales at the helm. The first-year varsity coach had seen his team start well in this game, so now they need to put together a good start with a good finish.



Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ g soccer 0, La Costa Canyon 2

Forward Emma McCall-Delgado contends for ball

in early minutes of Vikes' game at LCC Dec. 5.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

The La Jolla Vikings girls soccer team played a hard-fought game, featuring some new players, but fell in a valiant effort at La Costa Canyon, 2-0, Friday, Dec. 5.

Coach Kristin Jones' troops (now 1-1) gave up single goals in the first and second halves. A small contingent of parents and family traveled through heavy traffic at rush hour to support their players in a game with a start time of 5:15 p.m. against the Mavericks.

Among the newbies is Helen Lee, who played the entire game in goal. Helen took a year off from soccer at school last year to play for the La Jolla basketball team, then suffered a leg injury that has kept her sidelined from sports since last winter. Helen was keeper for the junior varsity two years ago.

Another newcomer is Nikki Collins, a freshman, who just finished her first year playing on the varsity field hockey team with her older sister Kelly.

The starting lineup for the La Jolla side, in addition to Lee and Collins, included Phoebe Riley, Emma McCall-Delgado, Sophia Rhodes, and Sophia Bourne; Maddie Lavelle and Olivia Riley; and Lillian Rafetto, Ana Corona, and Jessie Penner.

The first of LCC's goals came with 31:42 left in the opening period on a high bounder by Hayley Mayne that bounced over Lee's head into the net. It was her first goal of the season.

The second one, a left-footed boot from the left by Kallie Kampfl, again flew over Helen's outstretched arms, this time with 5:54 left in regulation time.

(Spelling of players' names provided by coaches; please let me know if there are spelling errors.)


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper

LJ b soccer 1, Hilltop 2 - Coronado Invitational

Goalkeeper Alexei Sebald (yellow jersey) makes

a spectacular leaping two-handed punch over a

Hilltop player (partially hidden) to clear the

ball near the Vikings' goal Dec. 4. The action
took place in the 34th minute.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

 

La Jolla put in its second strong effort in two games under new varsity coach Marcos Gonzales, but the Vikings fell 2-1 to Hilltop in the Coronado Soccer Invitational Thursday, Dec. 4, when the Lancers scored two goals within a minute.

Alexei Sebald and the defense held Hilltop, an Open Division playoff team last year, scoreless until the 59th minute, when a cross from the right led to the first score. A short time later, Hilltop scored on a kick from straight away into the left side of the net.

The Vikings returned part of the favor with a goal later in the second half.

Gonzales started, besides Sebald in goal, Alejandro Romano, Daniel Martinez, Cesar Hernandez, and Will Curtis; Jared Roberts, Jesus Leyva, and Lukas Keeling; Andrew Estrella, Noah Shen, and Juan Viana.

After rain conditions in the opening tournament game Tuesday, Dec. 2, LJHS faced the Lancers in dry conditions on the Coronado High School artificial surface.

La Jolla (0-2) is still looking for its first win under Gonzales, who coached some of the players on the junior varsity last year. The Vikings continue play in the Coronado tournament Sat., Dec. 6.


Copyright 2014 Ed Piper