Soccer

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? Forget the beaches, mountains and any of the few remaining cool spots to relax around Southern California. The hot weather that engulfed the area throughout the week wasn't about to deter children from learning the finer points of soccer from standout athletes who have played and coached in Italy. Sacrificing a trip to the beach to improve shooting, passing and goalkeeping skills seemed to be more significant. More than 100 children, ranging from 5 to 17 years old, participated in the week-long AC Milan Junior Camp at the Glendale Sports Complex.

BOYS' SOCCER St. Francis 6, Chatsworth 1 : Jacob Anderson had two goals and one assist Friday to lead the host Golden Knights (1-1-3) in a consolation match of the Ralph Brandt Tournament. Alex Pidoux, Carlo Taglioretti, Grant Gonzalez and Griffin O'Brien each scored a goal for St. Francis. BOYS' BASKETBALL Flintridge Prep 75, Simi Valley 59 : Jedrick Eugenio finished with 20 points, including 12 from three-point territory, to lead the Rebels (2-2) to a victory in the fifth-place game of the Falcon Classic at Crescenta Valley High.

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - Part ruthlessly efficient, part gracefully balanced, the visiting Santa Barbara High boys' soccer team was totally dominant in nonleague action Saturday afternoon, taking apart St. Francis, 6-1, at Friedman Field. Whether it was stats, such as the Dons outshooting the Golden Knights, 25-11, or on-field play, as Santa Barbara doubled its first-half offensive output with four second-half goals, there wasn't much the Dons did wrong or much St. Francis could look for positively.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — By the time the Hoover High girls’ soccer team crossed midfield for the first time, its crosstown rival had already done extensive damage. To be exact, Glendale had scored two goals in a five-minute stretch. The Nitros didn’t stop there. Glendale scored four first-half goals Friday afternoon to complete a 4-0 Pacific League victory against Hoover at Glendale High’s Moyse Field. Amy Rosales, Isabella Montano, Gabbi Chiroboga and Sarah Mizuki each scored one goal for the Nitros (5-5-1, 3-3 in league)

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - Ties are becoming an all too familiar and all too unsettling occurrence for the St. Francis High soccer team. On Wednesday at Friedman Field, host St. Francis once again tied its opponent, resulting in its third draw in four games played this year. This one, against Ganesha, finished at 1-1 and, with the Golden Knights outplaying the visitors for long stretches and having a chance to win for the first time with a late penalty kick, coach Glen Appels was clearly unsettled once more.

Two days ago, I had a long chat with Edgar Vazquez, a soccer guru and local businessman, at a coffee shop. Since this sport has been in the news lately in Costa Mesa, I thought I should retool my knowledge of the game, including understanding the politics hidden behind it. To begin with, I've always thought the few people who complained about the game, and the city officials who generously acquiesced to these individual's unfounded...

LA CRESCENTA - Lisa Kang showed some grit to help keep the Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer team atop the Pacific League. Kang went to the net twice and was rewarded each time during a Pacific League match against visiting Burbank on Monday. “You are told to go to the net and anything can happen,” said Kang, a junior forward who scored a pair of second-half goals to lead Crescenta Valley to a 3-1 victory. “You have to be ready at all times. “The first goal hit off my nose and the second off my head.

Hamlet Nalbandyan Loi Phan couldn't stay away from coaching for too long. After guiding the Glendale High football team to the CIF postseason for the first time since 1991, the 37-year-old will return to the sport he originally began coaching at the school. Phan will be the head coach of the Nitro boys' soccer team this winter, joining Edgar Manvelyan, who has held down the position for the past two years. Phan will be the head coach in title, but Manvelyan will still be heavily involved in the program.

Casey Cousineau, Senior, Goalkeeper, Flintridge Prep Dartmouth-bound keeper finished with 43 saves, registered 13 shutouts and was named to All-Prep League second team. Kaelin King, Senior, Forward, Flintridge Prep Senior forward finished with 20 goals and seven assists for 47 points. Was named Prep League's Offensive Most Valuable Player and was an All-CIF Division III third-team pick. Kara Lankey, Senior, Defender, La Cañada The senior defender was named the All-Rio Hondo League Player of the Year and is headed to Pacific University.

Manny Celio, Senior, Forward, Burroughs Despite missing a chunk of season with an injury, managed to score 10 goals and tally nine assists while earning All-CIF and All-Pacific League first-team awards. Albert Chamagua, Senior, Forward, Glendale Led Nitros to wild-card playoff victory and fourth place in league with team-high 14 goals en route to garnering All-Pacific League first-team selection. Rani Dimashki, Senior, Defender, Crescenta Valley Shutdown defender earned All-Pacific League first and All-CIF second-team honors.

At the conclusion of the Mission League girls' soccer season, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy came up one goal short of sharing the league crown. Though the Tologs were forced to settle for second, Flintridge Sacred Heart was bestowed the league's highest individual honor. Tologs senior defender Kayla Mills was recently voted the Mission League Most Valuable Player, while senior midfielder Sarah Teegarden was the Mission League Defensive MVP. Joining their fellow Tologs on the all-league honor roll were seniors Savannah Viola and Krista Meaglia and sophomore Hanna Armendariz, who were first-team selections, while seniors Kendall Sandoval and Hailey James, along with junior Dani Garcia, received second-team acclaim.

After leading their respective teams to appearances in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, four local high school boys' soccer players received prestigious postseason recognition. Pablo Sotillo, Rani Dimashki and Eric Trejo of Crescenta Valley and St. Francis Luca Coppola earned All-CIF accolades Monday. The CIF Southern Section office unveiled the first teams for all seven divisions. Sotillo earned a spot on the Division III first team, while Dimashki and Trejo were named to the second and third teams, respectively.

The Flintridge Prep, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer teams all finished second in their respective leagues this season. They had something else in common - multiple players receiving All-CIF Southern Section recognition. After turning in quality seasons, 12 local players were bestowed with All-CIF accolades on Monday. The CIF Southern Section office unveiled the first teams for all seven divisions. Leading the way was Flintridge Prep, which had five players selected.

For four seasons, the Crescenta Valley High girls' soccer trio of Sierra Rhoads, Whitley Boller and Katie Callister plied their trade in helping and eventually leading the Falcons to Pacific League success and a pair of playoff wins. The trio was justly rewarded for their efforts upon the conclusion of their Falcons tenures, as all three were recently bestowed first-team All-Pacific League honors. During their four-year Falcons run, they were apart of three Pacific League titles and two trips to the CIF Southern Section postseason's second round, including this past season, in which they defeated San Luis Obispo in the first round before falling to Pasadena Poly, the eventual CIF Southern California Division III Regional Championships winner.

As a defense-oriented team, the Flintridge Prep girls' soccer program yielded 11 goals in 22 matches this season. While establishing a stingy defensive presence, which saw the Rebels record 16 shutouts, Flintridge Prep needed a bona fide goal-scoring threat to take some of the pressure off the defensive unit. Kaelin King gladly accepted that role and regularly answered the bell. “We knew going into the season that our defense would be one of out strongest points and a lot of games would be close, but we needed to find a way to score some goals, too,” said King, who finished with a team-high 20 goals en route to being named the Prep League's Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Each time Manny Perez took the field, his goal was to be the consummate playmaker for the Flintridge Prep boys' soccer team. Perez often proved to be the ideal go-to player for the Rebels, who finished second in the Prep League and made an appearance in the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs. Perez' intelligence and reading of the game were two of the biggest reasons why Flintridge Prep tasted success and played a role in the senior midfielder/forward being tabbed the All-Prep League Most Valuable Offensive Player.