Girls Soccer Top Five
First Regular Season Top 5 Girls Soccer Poll
Who says soccer is a non-contact sport?
La Serna's Nicole Reed (#8) and La Habra's Kayla Tamayo (#17) collide after a head shot during their girls soccer game at La Serna High School on Thursday December 20, 2007. (Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger/Sports)
1. Santa Fe 8-0
Preseason Ranking: 4
Forgive me for believing coach Fernie Fernandez when he said this would be a “rebuilding year.” The Chiefs have come out undefeated after surviving Sonora on Tuesday, 3-2, despite being outshot 19-10. Kudos to goalie Shelby Magallon, who is having a great season.
2. La Serna 8-2
Preseason Ranking: 1
Okay, it might not seem fair that the Lancers have dropped to No. 2 after blasting La Habra 7-3, but co-coach Amanda Broussard did hint that her defense has not been up to par lately. Still, when you have a scoring machine you don't need too many stops.
3. El Rancho 4-0-2
Preseason Ranking: NR
Shh... The Dons have quietly knocked off a few solid opponents this season including Bonita (2-0) and previously undefeated Kaiser (1-0), which is currently 6-1-1. Let's see how El Rancho does in this week's Sunny Hills Tournament.
4. La Habra 5-3-3
Preseason Ranking: 2
Even good teams have tough losses. Such was the case in the Highlanders 7-3 stumble to La Serna. The good news from that game is that the La Habra offense looked good...for the first 25 minutes as they scored three goals. The bad news is that La Habra made few adjustments after that point while La Serna did. The Highlanders defense was overwhelmed. Injuries have also bitten a Highlanders squad that has yet to play its best ball.
5. Whittier Christian 4-4-1
Preseason Ranking: T5
A two-game losing streak has really hampered a strong start for the Heralds, especially without coach Natalie Roth. Whittier Christian has posted good wins over Hacienda Heights Wilson and St. Paul but has had bad games, including a loss to Garden Grove (2-6-3) and a tie with Montclair (1-4-7).
On the bubble:
Cal-Hi
Struggling:
Cantwell, La Mirada
What's your opinion?
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About this blog
Roger Murray is the prep sports editor for the Whittier Daily News.
The Santa Fe Girls Soccer team will pull off the big win at Ls in the first round! The Ls Defense is not going to hold up under the pressure of the Santa Fe Offense! You heard it here First!!!
Once again the Whittier Daily News shows it bias toward Santa Fe in girls Soccer. If you want to play a powder puff pre-season schedule and go 8-0 (of course that does not take into account their early exit in the NOCC) so be it. But why should that be rewarded with the number 1 ranking? Strength of schedule needs to be a factor, not just who the reporter likes better.
Who has Santa Fe played in this pre-season? The ONLY winning record team they have played is California High, a team they will face in league play. Who has La Serna played? The #1 and #3 ranked Division 3 teams and beat them both convincingly. They have also played the Division 4 #9 team and demolished them 7-0. Rankings should not be ALL about wins and loses, STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE should be recognized!!! The team that is going to be a suprise to every team in the Del Rio League is El Rancho posting a few wins over some tough teams. Once again strength of schedule is IMPORTANT!!!