Girls’ Soccer loses momentum against Flintridge Prep

By Marion Wood

Staff Writer

The head coach of the girls’ soccer team made the controversial decision to give the junior varsity players an opportunity to play at the varsity level on Monday, January 12. He subbed the entire varsity team out during the second half of its game against Flintridge Prep, which ended with a 4-0 loss for South Pasadena.

“I don’t think JV should have played because they aren’t at the level of varsity,” senior Emmy Keenan said. “It was a varsity game, so it should have been played by the varsity team. I think we would have won if [varsity] had played the second half as well.”

The varsity team played the entire first half, and kept the score at 0-0. Although there were no prominent shots on goal, the two teams were well matched both in technique and fitness.

In contrast, the JV squad had difficulty competing with the more skilled varsity team in the second half. The Rebels were better at passing, and were often the first to the ball. The Tigers were also missing several key players, including defender Claire Chong and forward Isabel Barbera.

A Rebel forward scored on a breakaway within the first five minutes of the half. Soon after, the Rebels scored a second goal with a through-ball to the center forward.

“Flintridge Prep was really good at spacing and passing and they were easily able to penetrate the JV defense,” sophomore Megan Wong said.

During the rest of the second half, the Rebels scored two more goals on diagonal through-balls, ending the game at 4-0.

“Today was definitely not a normal game for the JV team,” sophomore Ellie Kutzer said. “We played our hardest and fought until the end so that’s all that matters. This game really helped us to realize what we need to focus on during practice, and to get us ready for league.”

 

The Tigers start league play on Wednesday, January 14, with a home game against Blair High School at 5 p.m.