Scholastic Notes

Far West region

CALIFORNIA

TORREY PINES LOSES PLAYER, WINS MATCH OVER DEFENDING SECTIONAL CHAMP

You can't blame San Diego Torrey Pines (Calif.) head coach Kari DiGiulio for knowing where she might place blame if her Falcons lost its third game this season to Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (Calif.).

But as it turns out, blame and recriminations were not necessary. After a 1-1 draw after extra time, Torrey Pines won a penalty stroke shootout 3-0. It was the third time the two teams went to strokes this season.

And it was the first time DiGiulio went into a strokeoff without top gun Katie Griswold because of a school district rule on absenteeism. She had an excused absence from school, the nature of which was not disclosed to the local media at the game.

"It really wasn't that much of a distraction," Torrey Pines goalie Christi Barwick tols The North County Times. "When we finally heard Katie couldn't play, we didn't get discouraged. If anything, it got us even more fired up than we already were. We knew that everyone had to contribute with Katie on the bench."

And it was up to Paige Simmons, Sophia Lama and Megan Psyllos to convert in the stroke shootout. Barwick made two stops and saw a third Maverick effort miss the mark.

“They really pulled together as a team,” Torrey Pines DiGiulio told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “We have been playing well, but this team really needed a focus point. We needed to know we could beat them.”

There could be one more meeting between the two schools -- mid-November for the CIF San Diego sectional championship. Stay tuned.

LA COSTA CANYON OUT-THRILLS ALL TO WIN SERRA TOURNAMENT

For Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (Calif.), the No. 7 team in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10 the week ending Oct. 8, the final rounds of the 30th Serra Optimist Tournament were a little like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In the movie, the most memorable scene is the opening chase involving booby traps, a golden idol, a perfectly round stone boulder, and thousands of natives with bows and arrows.

For the 2006 Mavericks, the Serra Tournament -- and perhaps the entire season -- may wind up being defined by their efforts in beating San Diego University City (Calif.) 4-3 in the final minute of play after falling behind 2-0.

Both matches in the semifinal round were decided on penalty strokes. La Costa Canyon bested San Diego Torrey Pines (Calif.) 3-1 after a 1-1 draw; host San Diego Serra (Calif.) outlasted Escondido San Pasqual (Calif.) 2-1 in the sixth round of strokes after a 2-2 draw.

The Mavericks found itself a goal adrift of Serra in the first half of the final, but Laura Mafucci tied the match going into the interval. Mafucci and Tatiana Firth scored in the first four minutes of the second half to give La Costa Canyon the championship in one of the nation's toughest tournaments.

"Definitely, this was The Comeback Day," LCC coach Kim Elmore told The San Diego Union-Tribune. "The kids fought long and hard to win. The one thing about our girls is that they never give up, and you can't ask for anything better than that."

"Our team has a lot of heart," Maffucci tells The Union-Tribune. "We want it really badly. We do so well in practice, and we just have a chemistry on our team. That's what pulls us through."

LYNBROOK TO BECOME ROAD WARRIORS

There is a tradition of wearing leather bracelets at Lynbrook (Calif.), started after the death of longtime head coach Sandi Stober.

Each bracelet has five beads woven in -- until the 2006 issue. This year, there are just three beads. Two red beads are missing.

"That represents our home field," junior midfielder Kyla Hunts tells The San Jose Mercury News. "We're the `hope' bead in the middle."

Lynbrook, after constant fights with the hockey team, is finally getting a proper home pitch hard by Stober's Rock, a stone the team taps when taking the field for a match.

Problem is, nobody actually told the team until practice for the 2006 season was to begin. That means playing on the road the entire season.

"We still have the pride to keep up the quality of Lynbrook field hockey," senior back Jessica Hsieh tells The Mercury-News. "It's tough, but it will make us stronger in the end."

CORNING OFF TO A DECENT START

Off Rt. 99 two hours north of San Francisco, Corning (Calif.) Union is quietly building towards the beginning of the 2006 season and a possible run at the postseason. Losing only one of seven matches in its preseason playday doesn't hurt.

"We improved throughout the day," Corning coach Teresa Lamb tells The Red Bluff Daily News. "We switched, we communicated and played the ball through."

What will be interesting for the Cardinals will be their goalkeeping. Strong contenders for minding the goal cage include Shanae Cruise and Lacey Deleray.

COLORADO

MEYER LOVES "OTHER" HOCKEY

Greta Meyer's journey to field hockey came as a result of too many trips to the doctor.

She got enough injuries playing ice hockey against boys that she decided on a change.

And is Englewood Kent Denver (Colo.) head coach Kathy James ever happy about that.

"Her shots are pretty much the hardest I've ever seen out of a high school athlete," James tells The Rocky Mountain News. "She knew so many of the fundamental aspects of field hockey before everyone else because of that experience."

For last year's notes, click here.