Almaden Resident
Sports
Leigh girls keep rolling in Mt. Hamilton soccer
By Greg Lydon
The good times keep on rolling for the Leigh girls soccer team. Improving to 7-2 in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, and a scorching hot 12-2 overall, the Longhorns shut out Santa Teresa and Branham 2-0 for impressive back-to-back league wins last week.
Junior forward Stephanie Bloom scored twice for Leigh in a 2-0 win against Branham. Longhorns midfielders Marissa Dunaway and Emily Trudeau assisted on the scores.
Leland continued to stay right on the heels of Leigh, as the Chargers pulled off a 2-0 shutout of their own against Del Mar to stay within a half game of first-place Leigh.
The Chargers got goals from senior Sara Chehrehsa and Cristina Farrington, improving the Chargers to 6-2-1 in league play.
In other Mt. Hamilton results, Pioneer tied Piedmont Hills 1-1, the Mustangs missing a golden opportunity to get a victory against a struggling Piedmont Hills team.
In Santa Teresa Division play, Willow Glen rocked Lincoln 5-0 while Westmont tied Andrew Hill 1-1.
The win improved Willow Glen to 6-2 in league play, just behind the 6-1-2 mark of first place Sobrato. The Rams smashed their way to an easy 5-0 win at home with five different players recording goals. Kayla Villapando, Ashley Haight, Amanda Drennan, Taylor Lundquist and Kristen Edmunds all found the back of the net in the big win for Willow Glen.
In boys soccer action, Branham did exactly what a team is supposed to do against a last-place team--blow them out. The Bruins dominated play, putting up five scores in a 5-0 shutout against Live Oak. David Pitzen, Jubenny Gonzalez, Kevin Faridi, Jeff Anderson and Andy Larson blasted home goals in the winning performance for Branham.
Branham tied Lincoln 3-3 earlier in the week, as neither team budged in a tightly contested match, keeping the division standings nice and snug.
Branham is mixed in a logjam in the middle of the pack in the Mt. Hamilton Division, along with Leigh, Lincoln and Mt. Pleasant. Everyone is chasing 7-1-1 Overfelt, who shut out Leigh 1-0 this week. Branham finishes the regular season Feb. 6, hosting Overfelt.
Pioneer had a rough week in Santa Teresa Division play, with losses to Piedmont Hills and Yerba Buena. Pioneer is now 1-8 in league play and 8-8-2 overall this season. Sweeper Ryan Nelson scored off an assist from Francisco Martinez for the only score in the 5-1 defeat against Piedmont Hills.