by Niki Cunningham
Sports Editor
Ereporter: Bob Nielsen
The LHS Girls Soccer team played in a pre-season Tournament this last weekend in Oroville. Despite the rain and mud, Lassen had a very strong showing. Coaches Jim Ayers and Bob Nielsen went into the tournament looking for the opportunity to see the girls play as a squad, and to try the girls in multiple positions. It also gave them an opportunity to see how they compare to other teams, particularly some Division I teams. While the Grizzlies went 1-2-1 in the tournament, they played much better than the record shows. The only three goals they allowed were results of momentary defensive breakdowns, which were very instructive to the team and the coaches. More impressively, they came back after each goal with high intensity, with the feeling that they were still in a good position to tie and then win the game.
Over the course of the four games, the Lassen coaches were able to get a pretty good idea about the strength of their starters, the depth of their bench, and the chemistry of the team. All three Lassen Keepers had impressive showings, as they were aggressive on the ball and solid on the line against the few shots that made it past the defense. Hailey Chittock made some incredible saves, plucking a free kick from the upper corner and coming out to stop many dangerous through-balls.
The defense was re-aligned this year with the loss of several key defensive players from last season. This year, several of last year’s starters made the transition into defense. Their very solid play in the back combined with their ability to start offensive play will make Lassen a very potent team. The duo of the Mendonca Twins (Bri and Brenna) in the center of the defense with their speed, ball control, and ability to transition the team from defense to offense proved to be overwhelming to the other teams throughout the weekend. When the opposing forward was sprinting towards a long send, one of the pair would jog past them, get the ball, and turn it up field to begin another Lassen attack. Senior Brianna Ashmore brought experience and skill to the outside, and shut down the attack on her side of the field.
The midfield was anchored by the team Captains Katrece Lightsey and Jessica Rorie. As 2 of the teams 4 seniors, they bring the leadership and skill to move the ball from the defense into the attack. Rorie nearly connected with Lightsey on a cross/head ball combination in front of the goal, but the ball found the foot of Isabell Tyler for the first Lassen goal of the tournament against Willows. In the middle, Claira Schwab distributed the ball in all directions, and work hard to keep the ball in Lassen’s attacking half. She got many shots on goal throughout the tournament from 20 or more yards out. While none went in, her attempts on goal opened up the field for everyone else.
The forwards worked hard throughout the tournament, trying many different combinations and tactics to get their shots on goal. They proved their speed, passing, and ball control could open up shots, crosses, dangerous situations, and win corner kicks. One dangerous ball came through the middle was improperly handled by a Willows defender, which opened up a Penalty Kick for Jenna Monahan. She showed great composure as she put the ball past the keeper from 12 yards out. Senior Francis Lopez had several break-away opportunities on goal using her speed and ball control, and her shots were deflected just wide of the net by an alert Yreka goalkeeper. The team even combined to put a corner kick in the net, but it was disallowed due to a penalty as they attacked the ball.
Overall, Coach Ayers and Coach Nielsen were very pleased by the team’s performances, and how well they stacked up against other teams. The team will be working on some finishing and passing this week as they prepare for a second tournament in the Redding area. As the season progresses, the coaches expect to see better team dynamics as the girls become more familiar with the players around them. However, they already look to be very competitive once league play starts in January.
