San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SANTANA HIGH GIRLS EARN AN ‘A’ FOR THEIR CHEMISTRY
When Santana’s girls soccer coach Matt Robertson was asked to name his star player, he couldn’t do it.
“Most teams usually rely on one or two stars,” Robertson said. “We have 25 players and every one of them plays every game. Because of that, we have a lot of players who can score. This is truly a team, and its chemistry is what provides our success.”
Heading into the Division III playoffs on Saturday, Santana is 12-1-3 and seeded third. Even that record is deceiving since the Sultans lost to Ramona in the season-opener, 3-1, and haven’t lost since.
In that game, Santana was missing three players. Whereas Robertson simply can’t put the “star” label on anyone, he knows that three players are crucial to the team’s success.
He says senior Morgan Hobbs is a college Division Ilevel goalie (4.8 GPA who signed with Kansas State) who since that opener has been part of nine shutouts.
Put another way, the Sultans outscored their opponents 48-9 and were even more impressive winning the Grossmont Valley League allowing just a single goal while scoring 28.
She was still playing club ball in November.
Center fullback Taylin Warren, whom Robertson calls the driving force on the team, has made Hobbs’ job a lot easier.
She was still playing club ball.
And then there was Jenna Fields, who decided to finish her high school education in the town in which she grew up after playing three seasons at Cathedral Catholic.
She had to wait 30 days until she was eligible.
With Fields providing some scoring punch, the Sultans posted shutouts in nine of the final 12 games, including the last five.
“The thing is, we have a very young midfield, almost all sophomores, and yet one of them, Sophia Anuat, is responsible for 90 percent of Jenna’s goals,” said Robertson.
“When we score a goal, it’s like 18 or 19 players scored the goal. Against some of the lower-level opponents, different players get a chance to score, so you never know who will be the one.”
Robertson breaks down how each of the three standouts contribute to the team’s overall success.
“Morgan remembered how we lost in the Division III playoffs last year, and she didn’t like how the season ended,” he recalled as the Sultans lost in penalty kicks, 4-2, to eventual champion Sage Creek.
“We had a lot of chances to win the game in regulation and overtime, but we didn’t convert. There were so many wasted opportunities.
“But Morgan is what I call the busiest player on the field. She’s everywhere and she didn’t play that much this season against some teams.”
Hobbs and Warren are the vocal leaders.
“She’s a winner,” is how Robertson describes Warren. “She leads by example and being a high-level club player plus being a captain, she understands the game.
“Taylin is everybody’s cheerleader.”
Fields helps provide the offensive spark.
“She didn’t come out to play until January,” Robertson said. “She was the missing link. All we needed was one forward and her coming over from Cathedral made the puzzle complete. With Jenna, we gained momentum as the season progressed.”
The numbers story.
Before Fields was eligible, the Sultans were 2-1-2, outscoring their foes 10-6. Once she melded into the tell the team, Santana went 11-0-1 with only one blemish, a 1-1 tie against Coronado, considered one of the stronger teams in the section.
“Actually, we came from behind to tie Coronado,” said Robertson, who has had several starts and stops, coaching twice before at Santana and for 12 years at El Capitan, all the while guiding the East County Surf.
“We should have beaten Coronado (the No. 2 seed in Division II). We were all over them in the second half and that Coronado team had bowled over everyone. Earlier we’d beaten Patrick Henry and Christian (both Division II). Christian was unbeaten and Patrick Henry had just one loss at the time.
“The thing is, this team has chemistry like none I’ve ever had. It’s really unique.
“I’ve learned when you coach high school girls, you have to make them feel valuable. Girls need to be needed and you have to be fair. When they’re little, they’re like sponges but by high school it’s that team chemistry that provides success.”