It was time for the Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer team to take the field for the first game of their season, and the Wolves would be doing so on the road against San Marino, which had won the first two games of a six-game homestand.
The host Titans scored a first-half goal and withstood Flintridge Prep’s increased attack in the second to come away with a 1-0 victory on Dec. 5 in nonleague play.
“Flintridge Prep has been a powerhouse the past few years, so we expected a tough match and that is what we got,” San Marino coach Jaime Acuna said.
Despite the loss in their opener, the Wolves still took away some positive momentum.
“I thought the learning curve from the first half to the second half was outstanding,” Flintridge Prep coach Esteban Chavez said. “There were some adjustments we needed to make, so that is a good sign for us we were able to play a lot better [after halftime]. We are very young and very inexperienced. I think we adapted well in the second half and did counter their strengths.”
In the 15th minute, Titan Keilani Kooper blasted a long pass out the midfield down the right side of the pitch headed to goal. Madison No ran to the ball out wide in open space, and then the sophomore dribbled in toward goal before firing a shot into the back of the net.
“One of the girls had hit it over and I was running through and the goalie came out and I just hit to her right,” No, who has scored at least once in each of the Titans’ three games this season, said.
It was the first shutout of the season for San Marino, which extended its unbeaten start to four straight victories with a 2-1 win over Immaculate Heart on Dec. 7. The Titan defense is anchored in the back by senior captain Sasha Redshaw.
“I think that everyone working together and holding each other accountable for getting to the balls and being first to every single one was really good,” Redshaw said.
At goalkeeper, Callista Tan and Ava Kibbee earned the clean sheet, sharing the duties, playing in the first and second halves respectively.
“I think everybody was excited for this game. They knew it was going to be a tough match,” Acuna said. “Our defense, with Sasha in the back, is going to be a tough one to beat and they showed up today, they played well, they did what they needed to do and kept the opponent out of the goal.”
Flintridge Prep proved to be the much more dangerous side on the attack in the second half, as the Wolves carried the bulk of possession and were the ones generating scoring opportunities.
“We weren’t terrible in the first half. We just weren’t as sharp,” Chavez said. “The little details that we needed to fix the girls believed in it, they adjusted and I think we played a lot better.”
Near the game’s 49th minute, Flintridge Prep’s Valentina Mancilla got behind the Titans’ backline and ran onto a through ball up the middle. The junior was one on one with Kibbee but did not close space, instead firing a shot from distance that went straight to the goalkeeper.
Just a few minutes later, Mancilla had another prime opportunity when the Wolves sent a cross deep in the box that found the junior, but her low shot was saved by Kibbee with relative ease.
Flintridge Prep’s best chance to score came with just over 15 minutes left in the contest while Redshaw was on the sideline waiting to re-enter after being issued a yellow card for time wasting. The Wolves, with Sasha’s sister Charli now as the center back, kept the ball in the Titan defensive third, despite the hosts’ attempt to clear it. Flintridge Prep freshman Avery McCormack then got off a shot that slid past the goalie but just missed, instead banging harmlessly off the left post.
The win was especially satisfying for Sasha Redshaw, as Chavez is the coach of her club team.
“Personally, for me, it was a really big challenge because [Chavez] is my club coach and I’ve played with a lot of these club players [on Flintridge Prep] before,” the senior said. “So, just to see them on and off the field here, and just being able to work together on the San Marino side not to [let that] faze us was really good.”
It was a solid win for the Titans and a confidence builder.
“I think because [Flintridge Prep] is such high competition and we were able to defeat them, I think that it really shows that we are becoming a really good team and I can expect a lot from the season,” No said.
SAN MARINO 2, IMMACULATE HEART 1
The Titans added another victory to the win column on Dec. 7 with a 2-1 victory over Immaculate Heart.
No scored from the penalty spot for the Titans, who also got a goal from sophomore Makayla Tokuchi. San Marino seniors Calista Tan and Ava Kibbee split goalkeeping duties and both recorded two saves each in the win.
The victory improved San Marino’s overall record to 4-0. The Titans started Rio Hondo League play with a home match against South Pasadena on Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. San Marino will play host to Monrovia on Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. in the second league showdown of the campaign.
First published in the Dec. 14 issue of the San Marino Tribune
