The Campbell Reporter

Sports

Del Mar wins Santa Teresa soccer title, heads to CCS

By Dick Sparrer

Ken Padia is a veteran of more than 20 years as a high school football and soccer coach. Kristi Padia Call played soccer for many years and has been coaching for five years now.

Together, the two make quite a team, and they've made quite a team out of the girls at Del Mar High School.

The father-daughter coaching tandem came over from Leigh to lead the Dons to a championship in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and into the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.

Del Mar, 15-1-2 for the year and seeded No. 7 in the section, were to open the playoffs at home against No. 10 San Lorenzo Valley (9-8-3) on Feb. 14. The winner will visit No. 2 St. Francis (16-4-4) on Feb. 17.

The Dons earned their place in the playoffs with the Santa Teresa Division championship. They capped that title-winning season with a 4-0 win over Overfelt last week to wind up league play 12-1-1.

Sophomore striker Maricela Padilla knocked in three goals and Ashlynn Polini had one to lead the Dons past the Royals. Lauren Idemoto had a couple of assists in the win, and Cassie Polini and Brittany Salerno had one each.

The coaches moved over to Del Mar this winter with "high goals that we hope to attain with dedication and hard work," said Call at the beginning of the season. The Dons had finished last season with a 5-6-8 record--3-6-5 in league play--but the coaches were predicting a possible league championship, expecting to get the most competition from Westmont and Prospect.

The Panthers ended up tied with Willow Glen for second place in the division, but each club well back in the standings with matching 8-3-3 records, and Westmont was fourth at 7-3-4.

The Dons won the crown with a very young team. Idemoto, A. Polini and Marisol Polini are the only seniors on the 18-player roster. Idemoto, A. Polini and junior sweeper Lauren Pagendarm were team captains heading into the year.

Juniors Jasmine Reinman, Liz Bergschneider and Erin Friesen and sophomore Demi Nguyen have been other key players for the Dons along with Maricela Padilla, C. Polini and freshman goalkeeper Suzanne Bernd.

Juniors Claudine Jimenez and Ashley Valderrama, sophomores Lauren Blazek, Hillary Morman and Allison Schauer and freshman Hayley Norman are other members of the Del Mar championship squad.