LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Cougars Remain Undefeated


Julia Reshke #23 had a hat trick in the 5-1 win over Acalanes. Photo Andy Scheck

The New Year marks the mid-way point in the high school soccer season. January also brings Lamorinda rivals back to the turf for the second round of games. The Acalanes girls hosted undefeated Campolindo on Jan. 11. Miramonte takes on Campo Jan. 18 and then hosts Acalanes on Jan. 25.

Current standings place Campo at the top with a 6-0-1 league record and 8-0-2 overall. Acalanes sits at the bottom of DFAL with 1-5-1, but overall the Lady Dons boast a 6-6-2 record. Miramonte is in the middle with 2-4-1 and 3-5-1 overall.

However, records are often not a true reflection of the level of play. "We have had some tough matches where we have played well and created more opportunities than our opponent, but suffered a close loss or tie," Acalanes head coach Tom Ginocchio commented.

Despite Acalanes and Campo occupying opposite ends of the standings, Friday night's re-match promised to be competitive. In their first face-off in December, Acalanes handed Campo their only league tie this season. Both coaches recognize that the competition is strong and games hinge on converting scoring opportunities into actual results. "On any given day, anyone can give you a battle...every game has the possibility of not going your way," Campolindo's head coach Ernesto Silva explained.

The Cougars came out of the gate strong on Friday. Just one minute into the game, Campo had an early breakaway to score with a low shot to the right corner. Ten minutes later, junior Julia Reshke duplicated the first goal as part of her eventual hat trick for the night.

Acalanes had some good chances to score, but they could not penetrate the Cougar defense.

Toward the end of the half Campo's goalkeeper, senior Sophie Leksan, left her net to take a free kick at goal in an attempt to notch one more for the Cougars. The attempt was blocked, giving Acalanes a chance at an empty net, but Campo raced back to defend. The half ended with Campo up, 3-0.

After the break, the girls came back fighting to create an opening to score. Half way through, Acalanes' patience paid off. Senior Becca Bostwick snuck the ball along the right side of the net to cut the lead 1-3. However, Campo came back and scored two more to end the game 5-1.

Ginocchio was disappointed with the loss. "It was a tough result, giving up that early goal really was not the tone I wanted to start the game," he said.

Still, Ginocchio believes in his players. "We have a solid group of girls...we have the ability to be very good, just have to keep working."

Silva credits Campo's success to how quickly the players have come together. "This team is one of the most cohesive teams I've had in the 11-12 years I've been coaching," he said. "The talent is high and we have many great players."

On Jan. 18, Miramonte will have a chance to break Campo's six-game winning streak. Coach Mohamed Mohamed, back after a two-year hiatus, will attempt to lead the Lady Mats to victory. Miramonte held Campo to a tight 2-0 result in their first match, but will need to play at a high level to stop the Cougars.