Willow Glen Resident
Sports
BVAL showcases talent in soccer games
By Mike Barnhart
S peed, power, grace, skill and athleticism all were on display during the Blossom Valley Athletic League's fourth annual Senior Showcase--twice!
It was Friday Night Lights, soccer style, as top senior girls and boys from all 24 BVAL schools concluded their high school careers in an all-star double-header, Feb. 29 at Piedmont Hills.
Although the event's rules emphasized participation and fun, not winning, a competitive spirit definitely was flowing all evening. Players in both games exhibited effort and energy expected from high-caliber players. Certainly, nobody backed down from a challenge.
In the girls game, two goals in a seven-minute span of the first half and strong play from the defensive back line boosted the Gold Stars to a 3-1 victory over the Black Stars.
Later, in the boys contest, outstanding goalkeeper play on both sides made for a low-scoring affair, a 1-0 decision claimed by the Black Stars. Both teams had several opportunities, but Gold keeper Edgar Campos (Overfelt) and the Black tandem of Jose Villanueva (Silver Creek) and Jonathan Arellano (Mt. Pleasant) made diving, sliding and leaping saves to turn back shot attempts.
Juan Rosales (Silver Creek) of the Black squad delivered the lone goal just before halftime, redirecting a free kick from Moises Escalera (Yerba Buena).
The Gold almost scored on the game's final sequence, which was set up by a well-placed free kick by San Jose State University recruit Steven Sanchez (Piedmont Hills) from the 23-yard line. Nester Mora (Lincoln) took Sanchez's pass and drilled a hard shot that seemed destined to get through to the upper left part of the net. Suddenly, though, the lanky Arellano sprang up and punched the ball over the cross bar, preserving the win for the Black Stars.
The play was a fitting finale to an action-packed evening that successfully fulfilled the goal stated by BVAL Commissioner Colette Cuff on the inside cover of the Senior Showcase program.
"We are excited to be honoring our senior soccer players and hopefully providing a memorable conclusion to their high school careers," Cuff wrote.
The event, which started as a suggestion made almost five years ago by former Pioneer boys coach Jeff Farro, helps support the BVAL scholarship fund and provides a final opportunity for players to show off their skills to college coaches and recruiters.
Last week's showcase featured 45 girls and 41 boys, who participated in a couple of organizational practices before playing in at least half of their match.
Gold girls win
"It's fun to finally meet and play alongside players that you have gone up against over the years," said Leland's Karina Cavanna, who proved to be a defensive stopper for the Gold, along with Angela Santoro (Leigh), Jessica Ingram (Santa Teresa), Jessica Method (Willow Glen) and Nicole Peck (Prospect).
Sara Chehrehsa, a 5-foot-1 dynamo who scored 25 goals for Leland during the past two seasons, put the Gold ahead 2-0 in the 18th minute of the game. Chehrehsa, who will play Division I soccer next fall for Princeton of the Ivy League, drilled a quick follow shot from the left of goal.
Chehrehsa's score followed a goal by teammate Sabrina Scotuzzi (Oak Grove) in the 11th minute.
Leigh forward Marissa Dunaway, who tallied 16 goals this season, and Prospect striker Hannah Gilbert helped keep the pressure on the Black's talented goalie, Katrina Olsen of Sobrato.
Melissa Martinez of Lincoln did not allow a score while serving as the Gold goalie in the first half. Mayra Diaz of Willow Glen contributed solid play at her midfielder position.
A pair of Pioneer players combined to cut the Gold lead in half, eight minutes into the second half. Sami Vega blasted a shot into the net, after taking a pass from Bianca Springer.
Prospect's Gilbert answered for the Gold five minutes later, breaking up the left sideline, then unleashing a left-footed laser, but Olson bailed out the Black with one of her many fine saves.
Jessica Gore of Lincoln scored the Gold's third goal with 16:30 remaining in the match.
Sobrato's Ashley Grose, a scoring machine this season with 25 goals, challenged the Gold defense with a few breakaways up the left sideline, but could not convert.
Kandice Harmon (Branham), Liz Bergschneider (Del Mar), Laura Smith (Westmont) and Lauren Pangenderm (Del Mar) all contributed solid plays for the Black defense. Michelle Haughey (Branham) and Veronica Garcia (Westmont) put together some strong midfield play.
Leigh's Michele Kennedy and Overfelt's Daniel Santiago were the coaches for the victorious Gold team, while Randy Worthington of Pioneer and Paul Nishimatsu of Sobrato coached the Black.
Defensive struggle
While the goaltenders in the boys game made many acrobatic and aggressive maneuvers to knock down shots and cut off passes into the goalie box, they had a lot of help from the defenders in front of them.
Westmont's Bryan Nocera, who shouted out many of the Gold Stars' defensive instructions from the sweeper position, Willow Glen's Porfirio Diaz and Santa Teresa's Eric Burris cleared several balls before they could reach Campos in the Gold goal.
For the Black defense, Leigh's Eric Stanton and Nathan Jackson, Yerba Buena's Arturo Arrequin and Arturo Gomez of Andrew Hill made their presence felt, often beating onrushing attackers to balls and booting them out of the field of play.
Matt Schembri (Leigh) and Jose Cervantes (Hill) were the coaches for the Black team, while Luis Ruelas (Overfelt) and Nick Hoffman (Pioneer) directed the Gold.
All-Star rosters
Boys Gold: OverfeltEdgar Campos, Gustavo Fernandez; Lincoln--Nestor Mora, Juan Ramirez; Piedmont Hills--Nick Meyers, Steven Sanchez; Willow Glen--Porfirio Diaz, Isidro Garcia; Westmont--Bryan Nocera, Paul Silva; Pioneer--Ryan Nelson, Francisco Martinez; Prospect--Jose Gonzales; James Lick--Juan Escamilla, Noel Lozano; Santa Teresa--Eric Burris, Ozzie Mercado.
Boys Black: Leigh--Nathan Jackson, Eric Stanton; Branham--Kevin Faridi, Shane Hovorka; Oak Grove--Jacob Buland, Alfredo Leyva; Live Oak--Matt Altamirano, Andrew Chiri; Del Mar--Charles Sanchez, Ricardo Rivera; San Jose--Erick Ledesma, Victor Orosco; Andrew Hill--Arturo Gomez, Jose Ugarte; Yerba Buena--Arturo Arrequin, Moises Escalera; Evergreen Valley--Diego Ochoa, Rene Velasquez; Sobrato--Chrystofer Garcia, Victor Iracheta; Mt. Pleasant--Jonathan Arellano, Manny Avila.
Girls Gold: Leigh--Marisa Dunaway, Angela Santoro; Leland--Karina Cavanna, Sara Chehrehsa; Willow Glen--Jessica Method, Mayra Diaz; Santa Teresa--Jessica Ingram, Chantel Lyons; Piedmont Hills--Gabriella Lucido, Kristina Martin del Campo; Prospect--Hannah Gilbert, Nicole Peck; Lincoln--Jessica Gore, Melissa Martinez; San Jose--Viri Borroel, Brenda Castellanos; Mt. Pleasant--Kayla Goulart, Ana Velasquez; Overfelt--Nilda Ramirez, Alejandra Sanchez; Andrew Hill--Lissett Alcaraz, Juanita Lopez; Oak Grove--Gabriella Batmani, Sabrina Scotuzzi.
Girls Black: Gunderson--Kathrine Chavez, Marily Acosta; Yerba Buena--Mayra Montoya, Alexi Garcia; Independence--Ruby Maldonado, Rosa Lopez; Silver Creek--Manpreet Kaur, Liliana Avalos; Pioneer--Bianca Springer, Sami Vega; Evergreen Valley--Mylesa Alexander, Caitlin Brennan; Branham--Michelle Haughey, Kandice Harmon; Del Mar--Lauren Pagendarm, Liz Bergschneider; Live Oak--Alayna Bongiorno; Sobrato--Ashley Grose, Katrina Olson; Westmont--Veronica Garcia, Laura Smith.
