Uphill Battle in the Palomares League
January 28, 2015
Ever since the Diamond Bar High School girls soccer team moved up to the Palomares League, it was clear to the team that the competition would be much tougher than in the Hacienda League, where the girls claimed second place last year.
Consistency. The one word that is familiar to any team and is emphasized greatly by almost every coach. Not only is it aspired to by every player in the DBHS team, but is also expected from the team as a whole.
Despite the rough road that laid ahead, the Lady Brahmas began their preseason off with a great with a great win over La Serna High School 4-3. The team also took the championship title for the second time in a row in the annual San Dimas Tournament in December. The girls were undefeated until they lost to Brea Olinda.
“The girls soccer team has accomplished quite a bit this season. We won a great tournament and had one of our most successful preseasons in the last few years. With that said, there is a lot of room for improvement,” coach Matt Brummett stated.
But things went downward for the girls as they suffered a terrible 4-0 loss against South Hills during their first league game.
“Our first official league game did not go as planned. I truly believe it was a fluke game. We are more than capable of slaying this league. And I look forward to the high level competition to come,” senior captain Mia Trugerro commented.
“We need to work on being more consistent and getting mentally prepared for one of the toughest leagues in CIF. I am looking forward to seeing our team complete and continue to get better,” Brummett said.
Failing to overcome its previous defeat, the team lost in its second league game against Claremont High 2-1.
“I think we could’ve done better and our efforts from [the] last game were really awful. They [Claremont] were strong and had some decent plays, but one of the big factors for us was the lack of communication,” sophomore Reena Kang said.
The girls are now facing an uphill battle in the league as they are scheduled to face tougher opponents. The Lady Brahmas tied Glendora 1-1 in overtime last Wednesday, but they lost to Ayala 3-2. As of now, the Lady Brahmas are in fifth place.
“Right now, we are not at the level we need to be at to play against the tougher opponents we have in our league this year, but we are definitely progressing toward that point. We are a strong, skilled, group of girls and when we play to our potential and with hunger and passion, we play extremely well. I have no doubt we will do well in this league and hopefully make playoffs and make an impact here,” senior Ashley Bell stated.
