GIRLS SOCCER: La Salle advances to semis, goes to defending co-champion Granite Hills next
La Salle cruises past visiting St. Joseph 2-0 to reach Div. IV semifinals while Westridge falls to defending champ Mayfair 5-0 in Div. III, and Maranatha loses to Notre Dame Academy 2-1 in Div. V quarterfinals.
A closer look at Tuesday's semifinal showdown.
Division IV
No. 3 La Salle (22-2-2) at No. 3 Granite Hills (21-2-4), 3 p.m.
Noteworthy: Granite Hills tied for the divisional co-champioship last season and has outscored its opponents 14-1 in the playoffs, including Thursday's crushing 4-0 victory over Lompoc Cabrillo for their 19th shutout of the season. These are arguably the two best teams left in the division. On the top half of the bracket, Bishop Montgomery, who La Salle beat twice in the Del Rey League, is hosting the other semifinal over Mojave River League champion Serrano, who defeated a wild card team to reach the semis. The Lancers have been impressive too, outscoring their three playoff opponents 8-1, but they better bring their championship swagger to Apple Valley, because this will likely decide it all ...
Granite Hills coach Mike Bradbury talking about their 4-0 win over Cabrillo
"I couldn't have ordered better weather," Bradbury said. "I decided if we won the coin toss, we'd bunker down and rely on our defense to get a goose egg in the first half. As long as I've been up here, I've always known that the wind in your back is as good as a goal in their net."
To read about Granite Hills' 4-0 win over Cabrillo, click thread.
COURTESYOF THE DAILY PRESS
APPLE VALLEY -- After Louise Baartz planted a shot into the left corner of the net, everything else was extra.
Welcome to this year's edition of Granite Hills girls soccer, headlined by a dominant defense that can make a onegoal lead seem insurmountable. The Cougars set a new school record with their 19th shutout Thursday, a 4-0 win over Cabrillo/Lompoc in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs.
No. 2-seeded Granite Hills (21-2-4), which tied for the CIF championship last year, advanced to face La Salle on Tuesday. The site of that game is yet to be determined. The Cougars would love nothing more than to assert their homefield advantage again.
About 150 fans huddled together on Granite Hills' side of the field Thursday, braving the cold and wind. Coach Mike Bradbury elected to go against the gusting winds in the first half and let his defense win the game early.
"I couldn't have ordered better weather," Bradbury said. "I decided if we won the coin toss, we'd bunker down and rely on our defense to get a goose egg in the first half. As long as I've been up here, I've always known that the wind in your back is as good as a goal in their net."
Like it's done all season, the Cougars defense rose to the challenge and held steady against pressure in the first half. Senior defender Elizabeth Romo had the assignment of blanketing Cabrillo's Karissa Robertson, whose 34 goals on the season rank sixth in the state, according to maxpreps.com.
Midway through the first half, Robertson sent a shot that sailed just over the crossbar. The Conquistadores threatened several other times with the wind advantage but could not solve the Granite Hills defense.
"We're just a defense that works well together," Romo said.
The steadfast performance against the wind was rewarded when Baartz converted a touch pass from Shaday Trujillo for a 1-0 lead with 3 minutes left in the first half.
Playing without the wind, Cabrillo (16-11-3) unraveled while the Cougars notched three more goals, a pair of them by Emily Ochoa. The junior forward recorded her second two-goal effort of the postseason, not that it was imperative behind that defense.
"It takes a lot of pressure off us," Ochoa said. "They just continue to feed us good passes. It starts in the back and moves up to the front."
Ochoa gave the Cougars breathing room 7 minutes into the second half with the first of her goals. Baartz dug a loose ball out of the corner on the play and crossed it to Ochoa for a straightaway goal. She scored again in the 60th minute off an inbounds pass from Trujillo.
Eight minutes later, senior midfielder Angela Rivet capped the victory with a goal after making a nifty move through traffic.
The Conquistadores played most of the second half on the defensive side, unable to cope with the High Desert winds. One of their goalkeeper's kicks was blown backwards in midflight and out-of-bounds, giving the Cougars possession on the sideline.
"We weren't quite prepared for wind like this," said Cabrillo coach Derrick Wong, who praised the Cougars defense. "They're solid, they're in good position, they support each other. Their sweeper (Nicole Cristino) is solid in the back. She controls the field. They just don't make very many mistakes."
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
TripDave....apparently, the "kill Granite Hills-Granite Hills sucks" posts are from the very classy "La Salle student Class of 2007 Girls soccer supporter!"...maybe not everyone there knows how to compete with dignity....losing must really be difficult for them.
When "supporters" of any team behave in that fashion it's difficult for outsiders to wish happy thoughts for their team.
Actually the anti-LaSalle posters are pretty tame here compared to
some of the other soccer boards related to club soccer. Most of the imagined tricks;
pretending to be pro-LaSalle, signing on as some other poster and rooting for the
non-local team is old hat and ain't fooling no one.
And having seen time and again, it is so plainly obvious that some posters
here and elsewhere are immaturely sore losers. That carries over to
the mentality that if they go down, they wish to take everyone with them and
curse those more successful.
The only thing I regret is that we did not see a LC-LS match up in the Qtr Finals.
Fred,
Comments and posts from
La Salle student Class of
2007 Girls soccer supporter!
Go LANCERS!
JohnM, these comments aren't from LaSalle supporters. This is an adult distorting things and trying to get folks riled up. Everything they wrote is from Pasadena Star newspaper articles about LS and the five seniors. This is B.S. This is one of those adults who needs a life.
It is very obvious that someone who doesn't like La Salle is pretending to be a La Salle student or parent. These posts are NOT from LS, they are from people who don't like LS, and my guess is some of them are adult coaches. They are trying to make it look like LS is cocky and over-confident. They are trying to give the team a bad name. But, they can't because its a team of integrity and hard work and it will play with heart and determination on Tuesday. Who ever you are posting nonsense on here, we know its not a la salle student or parent. Let's just play on the field and stop all this manipulating...coach. Its not for the the adults, its for the girls. Let it go.
I sure hope the Granite Hills coach doesn't read this blog and then email it to all of his players... At least that's what I would hope if I were a La Salle supporter.
LA SALLE DEFENSE AND SENIORS
ARE GOING TO SHUT DOWN
LOUISE BAARTZ AND EMILY
OCHOA FROM GRANITE HILLS.
NO GOALS!!!!
GO LA SALLE LANCERS!
Hey Fred,
Are you going to write a piece on the 31st Annual Soccer Showcase. There are a couple of local kids playing on the team. It will be held at Bell Gardens on Sunday March 4th.
The Sweeper Cristino can't shut our La Salle Offense DOWN.
Granite Hills doesn't know how to play soccer.
La Salle has ODP Coach and ODP player.
Fred, you want the Final score for Tuesday Semis?
Kasey is going to dribble through the entire Granite Hills girls soccer team
on Tuesday and score 2 goals.
Try and stop her if you can.
La Salle is going to Win on your Home field.
Granite Hills soccer were
Co-Champs last year.
Those girls don't know
what it takes to be a TRUE
CIF CHAMPION!
La Salle Lancers for Life.
GRANITE HILLS SOCCER ?
DO THEY EVEN KNOW HOW TO
PLAY SOCCER IN APPLE
VALLEY ?
GO LANCERS!
REMEMBER THIS
WRITE IT DOWN
TAKE A PICTURE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007
LA SALLE WINS!!!!!!
I hope both teams play well and the better team wins.
the la salle girls have a great desire for achieving a ring this year...the seniors especially will make this happen...go lancers!
Granite Hills has all the variables and Advantages
for Tuesday Senifinal.
1.) Home Field Advantage
2.) Average 3 or more Goals
3.) Wind in your back=GOAL
PREDICTION:
GRANITE HILLS 3
LA SALLE 0
FINAL!! :):):):)
LA SALLE LOSERS!!!!!!!!!
If my team is out of it (and it was after 2 games)then I say support the local team even if it is La Salle!
There is no way to predict the outcome of a game with so many variables...but La Salle has answered the call on more than one occasion and I pick them to win because it is their year.
wow, someone is disgruntled for sure. Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, LS should be proud of their achievements this season and other local teams should recognize the fact that LS went further than any other area team. But, I guess that's not gonna happen since "anonymous" is still sore... maybe from a loss last Tues in the QFs? Get over it. And, LS parents are not over-confident, they are just supporting their team and hoping for the best. What did you expect?
Granite Hills Haters, Local
Teams disgruntled, doesn't
matter on Tuesday La Salle
girls soccer season is officially OVER!!!
Maybe next year they can try to win CIF!
Great HS career Kasey and good luck at USC where 3rd or 4th place in the Pac10 is a Given for Womens soccer
vs UCLA & Stanford.
Let's hope the La Salle players aren't as overconfident as the La Salle parents.
Granite Hills Spies on this blog?...hardly.
Just locals disgruntled that their team didn't make it this deep into CIF Playoffs
Hey speaking of "luck", Does anyone notice that granite hills got a merry-go-round ride through play offs? (i wonder why? hmmm), playing wild card teams and third place teams all the way to the Semi-finals!! Check it out, its true - not one first place team...yet. It was a cake walk so far and they still barely beat Catheral City 2-1 (courtesy of a CC handball in the box). What a "lucky" team. And he thinks people don't notice!
ooooh, we have a granite hills "spy" on this blog. Getting nervous?
La Salle barely squeaked out a Win 2-1 vs South Pasadena in 1st round, but LUCK
runs out Tuesday for Both
Del Rey teams, La Salle &
Bishop Montgomery Both
LOSE=Prediction. :):)
GRANITE HILLS 3
LA SALLE 0
La Salle LOSERS!!!!!!!
All I know is La Salle is gonna kick Granite's overrated,under skilled weak preseasoned teams butt. We are better than them and plan on showing it on Tuesday!
Anonymous, your math is...interesting! This is what i know (not counting any playoff games): LS has won 10/14 games against winning teams while GH has won 5/10 games against winning teams plus tied a game vs a team with a losing record.
Its closer than i thought. You are right. But, i still believe that LS played a much tougher schedule than GH and i hope it helps them! It will be a tough match and the "heart" factor will be big!
Hey Fred, no problem (always glad to pitch in one journalist to another :-). By the way, those numbers are my count so I wouldn't use them as gospel until you talk to Sal, who has the official stats. I do know if the numbers aren't right on, they are very close. Again, my point was to combat the notion that this is a one-man show. I wish I could be there Tuesday. It's going to be tough if the wind is as much of a factor as the Granite Hills coach says. Hope all is well with you.
Jim B,thanks for the info and doing my homework. You're the best. I wish we could send you with them to cover it seeing is how we're so busy on Tuesday..
Reporter, I went to the socalsoccer.org as you suggested. I noticed that a lot of the records are not complete. Without knowing a teams overall season record how can you be sure that Granite faced that many weak teams. If you read the site the way it appears La Salle has won 11 of its matches against teams with less than a .500 or less record. So its 14-11 La Salle. I saw the Apple Valley vs La Serna game (#1 La Serna was upset)and read the paper the next day. Apple Valley Had a winning record. Granite beat them twice during regular season 2-1 and 3-0.
So, you can subtract 2 from 14 and that makes it 11 to 12.
What say you?
I heard Granite's Coach is well organized and pretty tough. This marks the second year in a row,after being promoted to D4 from D5, that they are in a Semi-Final match. Who is this Coach? Where does he come from?
Anyone who thinks La Salle is a "one-man show" hasn't been paying close attention. Granted, they don't blow teams out, but they've definitely controlled nearly every game they've played. Here's a look at their leading scorers:
Kasey Johnson, 11 goals, 7 assists
Laura Hill, 8 goals, 2 assists
Alexa Weigand 7 goals, 6 assists,
Katie Tripoli, 6 goals, 2 assists,
Sara Turcios, 5 goals, 8 assists
Kelly Tartaglione, 5 goals 1 assist
Lindsey Jahnke, 4 goals, 4 assists
Lauren McAulay, 2 goals, 7 assists
That's hardly a one-man show, not to mention that 10 other players have registered points (goal, assist or both) that aren't even mentioned here. That's also not to take away anything from Kasey, who is a tremendous player and deserves to be player of the year. But the reality is that this is a good TEAM, bottom line. I'm not saying they're a lock to win in the semis, but they wouldn't be there without cohesiveness and contributions all the way around. By the way, La Salle has outscored its opponents, 59-12, with 18 shutouts so they're no slouches on defense either, not to mention the caliber of schedule that they played this season. Just wanted to add another opinion so nothing personal. Also, in the spirit of disclosure, I am a parent of a former player who graduated last season and I am a former Star-News prep writer.
Reporter, Does La Salle have the offense to win? I read that Granite's Defense is pretty decent. At this point in the season you need more than "one man show" to win. Who are Granite's scorers? They have like 80 goals and have given up only 12 or 13.
Anonymous, i think you're wrong. Granite Hills played a weak pre-season and did poorly whenever they met a tough opponent (tied or lost) . But, like i said before, that doesn't matter much right now. On Tuesday, it boils down to who wants it more. Its gonna be a battle.
Is there any truth to the rumor that the Granite Hills coach killed JFK?
I took a look at Granite's preseason. It appears they have played a very tough one and finished in the top 4 of the North Orange County Classic Soccer Tournament. Does anyone have a scouting report on them and how do you think La Salle will beat them?
Any news about the LCHS boys game..
Fred, absolutely! I hope La Salle goes in thinking it's gonna be the game of their life! They should approach every game that way. At this point, it boils down to who wants it more.
Reporter, hope you're right. But the simple fact is they did advance and earn a co-championship last year, and are scoring the most goals in the Div. IV playoffs. If I was La Salle, I wouldn't go in thinking they were overrated.
Fred, Granite Hills crushed Cabrillo Lompoc, right? Cabrillo Lompoc lost during league to the Lompoc team, the LS Lancers crushed 4-1 on Tuesday.
Granite Hills is way overrated. They play teams like Victor Valley, Jurupa Valley and Barstow all season long. When they do play tough teams with winning records like Serrano, they can't beat them (tied) and better teams like Orange Lutheran, Los Osos they lose to or tie. They have wiped up lousy to mediocre teams with losing records. 14 out of their 22 or 23 teams they played have .500 or losing records. Take a look on socalsoccer.org. They are not that impressive. Can you say "overrated"?
Isn't it funny that the Granite Hills coach who is the big honcho at SS CIF for DIV has played all but one play off game at home and the one game they played away was in the desert too, east near Palm Springs? He brags about using the wind and loving the home field advantage? Who is tossing those coins at the CIF office anyhow? Maybe the Granite Hills HS coach?
"Granite Hills HS is in El Cajon, San Diego Co......"
Ooops...nevermind.
Good thing I am not driving the player's bus on Tues.
JohnM, it's all about the money. They cram all these games into Downey and Gahr High school, and could care less about the results. They want to get teams in and out, hand out the trophies, and get on to the next game. It's too bad the Home Depot Center won't open its arms and welcome the southern section soccer championships. Funny how they welcome the CIF football championships, but can't support its own sport. How simple would this be, play the championship games in the big stadium, and if there is a tie, take it to one of the auxillary fields. If the Galaxy and Chivas really want to reach out to the community, what better than to welcome best high schools teams in its own backyard.
FredJ...it's wrong to have these teams battle their way to the finals and share the title...and the chances of a game ending in a draw when top teams meet is always pretty high. It seems the CIF is more concerned about keeping on schedule than deciding championships the right way.
Reading the story on Granite Hills, it sounds like they have a very good defense to go with an offense that already had produced 12 goals. It will be interesting to see how Lancers coach Sal Lopez uses defender Kasey Johnson. I guess you start with her in the back and hope that your forwards can generate an early goal. But if it gets late, you've got to push her forward and try to win it...
By the way, any thoughts on the CIF finals not having overtime. A couple years ago, they had four out of the six boys team crowned co-champions. I can stand it. Personally, I can deal with losing better than I can accepting a co-champion trophy. I want it settled, one way or the other.
JM, you are correct. There are two Granite Hills High School. La Salle is playing Granite Hills in Apple Valley.
OK...I'm no expert on geography but I know Apple Valley and El Cajon are pretty far apart. Wouldn't El Cajon be in the San Diego section?
Granite Hills HS is in El Cajon, San Diego Co. Right next to La Mesa.
You take the 5 or 15 south and go until you can't go no more, then go a few more miles.
La Salle seems to thrive on road games. They are a tight knit group that spends a lot of off field time together.
I do agree, this game could be considered the championship. By far they are the 2 best teams in Div. IV
In Apple Valley
It sounds like it could be a very good game. Where is Granite Hills?
Don't underestimate Granite Hills: 21-2-4. They have breezed through the playoffs with 12 goals in favor and 1 against. This will be a match for La Salle.
BAD NEWS: La Salle at Granite Hills for the semis on Tuesday. This won't be easy. They just handled Cabrillo 4-0 at home...
LS78....correct...at least for this season.
La Salle hands down is not only the best team in the area, but can compete with any team in So Cal at any division. They will breeze to the championship.
last post should have read 2007-08 season....wow, that sounds so futuristuc!
The complexion of the Prep League will change drastically for the 2006-07 season. It's likely to be a five team race for the top.
westridge didnt want it as much and mayfair had no weaklinks
oh my, i guess the first Westridge score was wrong, maybe it was 3-0 at half-time! Wow, wow, wow, that's a double whoopin' and an unusual quarter-final score. What happened to Westridge?
And yeah, Girls Soccer, you are right. La Salle has a great touch and can usually control the ball. That's as important as any other aspect of the game. It paid off today in miserable conditions.
Chadwick (2006 Division 4 CIF Champions) lost today to La Mirada 3-2. Congrats to both Chadwick and Westridge for making it this far...the Prep League had a good showing in the Division 3 playoffs.
yeah for sure JM. but for i was really impressed at how well they handled the rain. those girls had an amazing touch and if it wasnt for the fact that their jerseys were soaked, i never would have thought it was raining. they made the opposition look easy. hardly a appeared to be a 1/4 final game.
some notes on interest (perhaps): one of La Salle's two losses this season was to Mayfair, 2-0, at a tournament in Northern California in December. La Salle defeated Notre Dame Academy, 3-1, in a nonleague game on Jan. 13. La Salle and Notre Dame Academy used to be Sunshine League rivals until this season. Notre Dame Academy knocked league champion La Salle out in the 2004 quarterfinals after La Salle had defeated NDA twice during the season.
Fred...did you ahve anyone at the Wetridge and/or Maranatha games? If so, what went down?
Mayfair 5, Westridge 0
Notre Dame Academy 2, Maranatha 1
La Salle 2, St. Josephs's 0...
La Salle only team left and will play No. 2 Granite Hills, a 4-0 winner over Lompoc Cabrillo, in the semifinals on Tuesday at a site to be determined by Friday's coin flip.
Girls Soccer...I agree about the name thing, I think posting here should require a user name and password. Fred?
One more thing GC, you mentioned that La Salle dominated today "despite the slippery rain." Weren't both teams playing in the same rain?
I don't know about "seeing the light" but La Salle is the best in the area. It is what it is, like it or not.
okay just for the record, people shouldn't sign on as names that others already use. thats not fair. i dont know who bashed the thorne sisters but i fully disagree. they have talent that carried them all the way through the playoffs along with katie davis. its a bummer they are out because this year was their chance. oh well
so stay off names if they aren't yours. please
and i still think la salle is the best in their area. they have a huge chance to walk through these next few games and take it easily. they were completely dominating today despite the slippery rain. it was impressive
I'm glad JohnM has finally seen the light!
I guess that old argument about who is number 1 in the area has been settled. La Salle is going to breeze through its next two games.
oh yes, it must have been the rain. That's a whoopin'
Westridge loses 0-3? It had to be the rain.
Westridge goes down 3-0 vs Mayfair
Maranatha?
Yes. La Salle final score was 2-0
Maranatha lost final score ND 2-Marantha 1
What about Westridge and Maranatha? C'mon somebody's got to know something. Half-time scores? Final scores? What's the news?
yes
So was the La Salle final 2-0?
Well, LaSalle won...They had the game in hand by the end of the 1st half 2-0
It's supposed to rain like mad for several hours starting about game time today. How will the weather help/hurt the remaining area teams?
La Salle...playing on the turf takes away the mud factor but the Lancers are heavily favored and the rain can only make the game closer.
Maranatha...same as La Salle but if the game is on a grass field it will help the opposition.
Westridge...good for the Tigers. Anything that can slow down balls that are shot on the ground anywhere than right at the keeper can only help.
It's Kasey Johnson for MVP. She has shown that she is the best gamebreaker out there
Again, to La Salle and Maranatha and Westridge...good luck to all of you in your quest for championship rings.
And a special note of encouragement for Westridge: Make them sorry you ever set foot on their field!
There are some great player of the year candidates, and remember, the player of the year isn't necessarily the best player, or the one who has the most potential at the next level. It's the player who had the best high school season, and did the most to help his or her team win, and advance in the tournament.
No one is knocking Katie Davis. She is up there for area 'Player of the Year'. My obsevations of the Thorne girls come from early season high school play...what can I say? Character counts! Negative sportsmanship trumps talent.
You're right -- I have not seen them play recently. Maybe they have grown in ability to lead positively and that's having an impact on their team.
Anyone who says the Thorne sisters are overrated hasn't watched that team play much, or doesn't know much about soccer. The Thorne sisters and Katie Davis control the middle of the field, from top to bottom. Kate Thorne's long throw-ins are always dangerous, and I saw Davis yesterday fighting for balls like a forward is supposed to fight, and Davis is actually an attacking midfield who plays up front at times. She plays with a passion and is very talented. After watching La Salle and Westridge, this would be a very, very tight matchup that could go either way. Westridge doesn't have La Salle's depth, but that's one more reason why the Thorne's and Davis deserve so much credit, because they really carry the load.
Honestly, Westridge, as a parent (and i know you aren't a student), getting that emotionally involved and that angry about YOUR CHILD'S team (its not yours) is a bit scary. Let people state their opinions and don't take the bait if you are that invested. Maybe only the players should get that emotional about these games and these teams, rather than the parents. Good luck to all 3 local teams!!
Interesting opinion, JohnM. I stand by mine.
Girls Soccer...Katie Thorne is the backbone of the Westridge team and in my opinion she's far from overrated. She runs the team like a quarterback, taking all throws ins in the attacking end and getting involved in the attack whenever possible. She is definitely the real deal. Take her out of the equation and Westridge probably isn't even in the playoffs.
Westridge's Thorne sisters are "spectacular"-ly overrated.
Westridge,
Take a deep breath. Maybe you should stay off this blog...I sense it may be affecting your health (is your blood pressure going through the roof?).
John M likes to 'stir it up', but he does have some insightful comments to share re: local teams. Our high school played Westridge's team, and honestly, we have also seen the Westridge coach exhibit poor sportsmanship in his comments to refs/players, and have observed two of the "pictured" three players screaming at their teammates (yes, more abusive than inspiring). His observations are not off the mark re: your team.
My advice to you -- enjoy your playoff run (while it lasts) and stay off the blog -- for the sake of your health.
westrdige...fair enough on all counts.
Enjoy the rest of the playoffs.
OK JohnM…
Not sure how “what’s your deal” merits your response calling someone “gutless,” but I bet we’d both agree that confrontational language, name calling and sarcasm are not the foundation of a constructive exchange of opinions. Since you seem to like to stoke discussions on this board, perhaps if you took the high road next time in the face of the slightest provocation it may lead to a better dialog.
As for your opinions, I’ll take you up on your offer to deliver them face to face to the players, coaches and entities you go after. Since in my three posts I haven’t gone after anyone (and as an anonymous bloggers you don’t count as anyone), I fail to see how the preaching from my pulpit parallel yours.
As for how the coach motivates the team, I can only comment on what you posted since at all the games I have attended I have never heard him behave in the fashion you described (and frankly the AD wouldn’t put up with it if he did). Even so, your quote didn’t seem over the top to me, but you disagree. Fair enough, but if you thought it was so bad again I’ll take you up on your offer to go and speak to the coach and/or the AD.
And finally, as for your bit of advice about getting a life, not living through children and not taking things too personally, given the vast number and periodically nasty tone of your posts, I’d say you need more work on those issues than anyone else I read on this blog.
OK Westridge…..the post you are speaking about by the anonymous poster started by saying “JohnM what is your deal?” which is confrontational and was responded to in kind. If a child posted that I had no way of knowing. My psychic abilities are rusty.
How would you like me to stand by my opinions? Should I post my full name and address each time? I would have no problem repeating any of my comments in person to the individual or entity which they were directed. Or maybe I should just use the id “Pasadena.” That is almost as specific as your very specific id of Westridge. Practice what you preach or don’t get on the pulpit.
If you think what your coach used to motivate his team is appropriate more power to you. I disagree. And you may have heard that in America it’s OK to disagree with others and say so. Maybe that doesn’t apply in your world but you can work through that if you are serious about understanding the concept.
If you would like me to go into more detail about my other comments regarding my opinions about what I witnessed at some of your games I will. They were observations that in retrospect probably should have not been posted and I apologize if anyone was offended when I reported what I saw and heard.
Thanks for the advice and now let me give you a bit. How about getting a life of your own and stop living yours through your children? That way when some opinionated observer makes comments about something your child is attached to you won’t take it so personally.
Gee, I guess that means you need to grow up too!
Again, to La Salle and Maranatha and Westridge...good luck to all of you in your quest for championship rings.
JohnM:
Don’t flatter yourself about having a stalker. When you labeled someone who disagreed with you as “gutless” I decided to look up your previous comments this season and that’s when I became “outraged.” And what a joke that you “stand by ALL” your opinions. You don’t “stand” by anything since you make your opinions public as an anonymous blogger. Fred has to “stand” by his opinions and rankings since they are printed with his name. Anonymously, you don’t “stand” for anything.
As for the “inappropriate motivational messages,” you quote our coach as telling his team to make their opponent “wish they had never set foot on (our) field.” Are you serious? When is using language like this about defending your home field not “OK?”
You conveniently ignore all my other comments since there is no defense for your personal attacks. Also, save your insincere good wishes for all the other teams. You have taken cheap shots at all of them all season and your sarcasm (“it’s good to know everyone at Westridge…”) and anonymous attacks tell the true story. You wish nobody well other than yourself.
Again, grow up.
From the LA Times
D3
Arlington 2, La Palma Kennedy 1 (OT)
La Mirada 1, Norco 0
Sunny Hills 6, Atascadero 5 (2OT)
Chadwick 0, Garden Grove Pacifica 0 (Chadwick advances on penalty kicks, 4-3)
King 1, Fullerton 0
La Habra 5, Santa Monica 2
Mayfair 3, Riverside Poly 0
D4
Cerritos Valley Christian 3, Pomona 0
Garden Grove 3, Whittier Christian 2
Maranatha 2, Big Bear 0
North Torrance 3, Rancho Alamitos 0
Notre Dame Academy 3, Downey 2 (2OT)
South Torrance 2, Marlborough 1
El Segundo 1, St. Bonaventure 0
Oaks Christian 7, Bell Gardens 1
Others (not sure of Divisions)
Arrowhead Christian 6, St. Matthias 0
Fillmore 3, Western Christian 2
Lancaster Desert Christian 7, Pasadena Marshall 0
Murrieta Calvary Chapel 2, Connelly 0
Ontario Christian 5, Mary Star 1
St. Margaret's 4, Linfield Christian 0
Viewpoint 3, Laguna Blanca 0
Woodcrest Christian 2, Bishop 1
Westridge: Wow! Nothing like having my own personal blog stalker! And for the record, I stand by ALL of my opinions made in the past….right or wrong. Your beloved coach belittled himself in public by screaming inappropriate “motivational messages” at the top of his lungs in a public place….everyone within a mile radius probably heard him. The only difference is you think that sort of thing is OK and I don’t. And thanks again for following my words so closely. That’s quite a compliment. No one likes a bad winner…it seems saying “I told you so” is your method of operation. Where was all of this outrage before today?
It's obviously difficult for you to read an opinion that is contrary to your emotions. I hope you feel better in the morning and it’s good to know everyone there at Westridge loves everyone.
Again, to La Salle and Maranatha and Westrdige...good luck to all of you in your quest for championship rings.
JohnM:
You're not getting off that easy. Earlier in the season you labeled Westridge the “Number One Whiners,” called our coach classless after eavesdropping on his pregame talk, accused our three “pictured” seniors of handing out “abuse” to their teammates, said we got “smoked” by Mayfield in a game you didn’t even see, and then told us if our freshmen don’t contribute we won’t come in ahead of Flintridge Prep (who of course “dominated” us in a game we won). Finally, you take a cheap shot at Chadwick, a team that has won the last two CIF titles in our division.
When someone below calls on politely calls on you to “give credit where its due” after the team’s impressive 5-2 win over Arroyo Grande, you call the poster “gutless.” The only one without any “guts” is you. Calling out high school kids (yes, that’s what they are, kids), belittling a coach, and looking for every opportunity to knock teams you don’t like is uncalled for. You need to stop anonymously trashing teams and people on this blog. Frankly, if you had any “guts” you would say what you post face to face to the teams and coaches you belittle on this blog.
Here are the things you will never get. All these teams play for the love of the game. All these teams love their teammates, coaches and schools. All of these kids are winners whether or not they hang a banner in their gym at the end of a season. And all of these teams don’t need “fans” like you who launch personal attacks on a blog.
Grow up.
any more scores? Chadwick? La Salle? or Other division scores?
any more scores? Chadwick? La Salle? or Other division scores?
Nice win for Maranatha on the road at high elevation after a long drive....could Pasadena have three CIF finalists? I think two for sure.
Fred...fair enough. The final score speaks for itself.
John, I wouldn't say Arroyo Grande had the momentum. I think Westridge clearly outplayed them.
Final scores
Maranatha 2, Big Bear 0
St. Joseph's 2, La Canada 1 (Spartans lose in sudden-death triple overtime with two minutes left).
Desert Christian 7, Marshall 0..
Anonymous (aka Gutless)…if you were at the game you probably saw Arroyo Grande pressing the Westridge defense for the first 20 minutes before Westridge caught fire and notched two goals in the next 15 minutes. You must have also missed Arroyo Grande answering Westridge’s second goal less than a minute later to make it 2-1 and the first half ending with a direct kick from just outside the goal box for Arroyo Grande that sailed over the crossbar by quite a bit. At the half Westrdige had lost the momentum….whether your little “anonymous” brain likes it or not.
There's no doubt who had the momentum in the second half!
Good luck to Westridge. Its likely quarterfinal opponent is Mayfair on the road.
JohnM what is your deal? Westridge has just beaten two teams and your still bagging on them! You said earlier not a finishing team?? So is 5 goals not finishing? At what point did Arroyo Grande have the momentum? When they scored the goal and were still down one or when westridge scored another 3? Give credit where its due.
Congratulations to La Salle as well. It looks like the Lancers answered the South Pas wake up call.
Wow Fred! I had to leave after the first half of the Westridge game and even though it was 2-1 Westridge at the half it looked like Arroyo Grande had the momentum. Congratulations Westridge!
Westridge 5, Arroyo Grande 2, Katie Davis scored her two more goals to bring her playoff total to four.
LaSalle- 4
Lompoc- 1
How did La Canada do?
We are all hoping for a LC-LS match up.
One more thing re: Westridge and D3.
Flintridge Prep, a D3 wild card team won its first game 2-1 in OT then took Santa Monica, the number one seed in D3 to the 98th minute in overtime before giving up a goal and losing 0-1....there isn't a huge difference between the top teems in D3 and D4 and some of the top D4 teams may be better than the top D3 teams.
soccer lover...why all of the concern about Maranatha playing in Big Bear? Isn't God on the Minutemen's side?
Westridge?
Lots of great field players but not a great finishing team. The goalkeeper has a tough time getting to hard shot balls on the ground….but thanks to the defense many don’t get that far. I've seen four of their games and in two of them there was a lot of finger pointing and yelling within the Westridge ranks while the game was in progress. That tells me the underclassmen on that team are playing scared to make a mistake rather than playing as aggressively as they need to.
Chadwick is severely overrated as a team but Christen Press can beat most teams by herself with any other ten stiffs on the field. A tie with Chadwick is no indicator of a team’s playoff potential.
Westridge is not a championship caliber team.
Big correction, that St. Joseph team that played FSHA was from Lakewood, not Santa Maria. My mistake. Let's hope L.C. and La Salle make it through.
westridge beat chadwick last year but tied them this year
there, I have a sign name now, not anoymous, and yes, southern california does produce the best players in the country. I'll say it again, the best players in the country. Socal club teams dominate northern california soccer, so stopping thinking la salle is all that great, they were lucky to beat south pas weren't they. I heard they scored on a hand-ball. Several people have told me this.
Anonymous,
How limited are you? Monte Vista has Courtney Jones, who is a 2008 grad who committed to Univ. of North Carolina long ago and will probably be ranked in the top 10 recruits in the country next year. Christen Press has nothing on Courtney Jones.
You reallly DO think SoCal is the center of the high school soccer universe don't you?
Wait a minute! Westridge didn't even beat Chadwick, they tied them!!! What a joke! Which D1 teams has Westridge played...? oh yeah, the powerhouse Alemany ha ha ha.
BTW, many of the top50 soccer POWERS in the nation are up north, Monte Vista among them. Expand your horizons a bit buddy, its not all Socal. Monte Vista would give Upland a tough fight any day along with about 5-6 other norcal teams.
Whoever La Salle beat, isn't a POWER, mabye a good team, but they're not good enough to beat the real POWERS. Upland is a power, La Salle probably beat an over-ranked team from up north. But we know that Chadwick has Div. I players like Christen Press
Sorry, but Westridge does not have fewer losses than LS. They have played about about 8 games LESS than LS and still have 2 losses, like LS. What does that mean? That LSalle's winning percentage is better than Westridge's.
And, LS beat a REAL powerhouse like Monte Vista up north, not D3 Chadwick.
Finally, although DI may be the toughest division, the D3-D5 divisions are all about the same. The division has to do with the student body numbers, not talent.
I don't think Westrdge is the area's best team but they might be the area's luckiest team since LC, LS and Maranatha have to travel hours and hours to play tomorrow while the Westridge girls get to stay home.
If you haven't read the links to the Santa Maria times listed above, check it out.
PREDICTIONS....
AGrande 2, Westridge 1
La Salle 1, Lompoc 0
St. Joseph's 1, La Canada 0
Maranatha 2, Big Bear 0
DChristian 5, Marshall 0
No ofence, but westridge has no chance against arroyo grande
Maranatha shouldnt have to go play in the snow, thats too huge an advantage. its ridiculous for cif to send them up those trecherous roads and be forced to play on a mountain.
La Canada and La Salle are going down, I think only Westridge will be left standing on Tuesday night.
Let's not forget, Westridge is in the toughest division of all these teams, has the fewest losses, has beat a power like Chadwick, and will prove it is the area's best team tomorrow afternoon.