GIRLS SOCCER PREVIEW
End of the regular season:
Feb. 9
CIF championships: 22-24
Feb.
Defending champions
Open Division: Westview
Division 1: West Hills
Division 2: Patrick Henry
Division 3: Monte Vista
Division 4: Clairemont
Division 5: Madison
What to look for
San Diego had representation deep into the Southern California regionals last season. San Marcos and Westview extended their seasons into March. San Marcos reached the Division 2 final, losing to Newhall Hart; Westview suffered a heartbreaking lastminute loss to Los Alamitos in the Division 1 semis.
Now, Westview is moving forward. The Wolverines will have to do it without a core of players which helped the program win two section titles and one state championship over the last four seasons. Goalkeeper Soraya Souvanaphong is back; so is junior midfielder Layla Salem and forwards Lacy Ratermann and Ela Rees.
“They have a taste of success and they know what it takes to get there,” said Westview coach Peter Stogsdill. “The challenge will be putting everything together with new faces on the field and figuring out how to play together. We’ll need to sort out who will be the leaders and goal scorers.”
La Costa Canyon was a finalist against Westview in the Open Division title match last season.
The Mavericks will start their quest for another deep playoff run behind eight returning players and three freshmen. Eduardo Velez is in his first season as LCC’s coach.
“LCC is always a very good program, and I came here to try to continue with that legacy of success,” said Velez. “The goal is to win the championship. This team has a lot of quality. The players are very committed to the program and they are doing everything to make it work around their schedule.”
San Marcos, a 2022 section champion, heads into its second season with head coach Alex Ramirez. The goal is clear for the Knights.
“It doesn’t matter if we win, lose or tie a game during the season because our minds are set on winning a state title,”
Ramirez said. “We have a talented pool of players who know what it takes. The target on our back got a little bigger. Every game this season teams will be out to get us with extra motivation.”
West Hills is the defending Division 1 section champion. Wolfpack coach Russ Shubert believes a team from his part of San Diego will be in the mix for another title.
“Don’t turn your back on East County soccer,” Shubert said. “There’s some really talented players in East County and we have some great local rivalries with great teams in our league.”
That includes Shubert’s team, a squad that returns a handful of key players from the championship team last year. UC Irvine-bound goalkeeper Alexa Peterson, SDSU commit forward Alexis Leath and midfielders
Cyann Retzloff, Gabrielle Mullett and Azucena Irianda make up the core of the team.
There were two teams from the South Bay in the Open Division playoffs last season: Bonita Vista and Eastlake. Both were eliminated in the first round to teams from North County. Eastlake wants to improve after losing to Cathedral Catholic in coach Gabriel Gamboa’s first season.
“We’re more defined this year,” Gamboa said. “We’re more focused. We’re really ready to come in and be more focused. “Last year the team was feeling me out but now we have a vision and a purpose, a lot more dedicated.”
The dedication comes from team leaders such as Kansasbound Ashley Mekitarian and Mia Lane, who committed to SDSU. Center back Lily Stewart and underclassmen Sophia May and Jorden Swain are also key players on the squad.