Game 1: The Team played at home v. La Canada and tied 2 - 2. Lindsay Miller scored off a beautiful cross from Savannah De Sousa and Alex Schuster scored on a perfect feed from Lindsay Miller. Carlee Beckler was strong in the goal with 8 saves.
Game 2 v. Monrovia was moved to Tuesday & played at SMHS since Monrovia's field is under construction. The start of the game was a little off-balance for the Lady Titans. Monrovia scored in the 7th minute and definitely had the momentum most of the 1st half. Monrovia kept the pressure on our defense and Carlee Beckler finished the half with 7 saves! In the 32nd minute Annie Wenzlau was on a break away and got tripped just outside the box. This set up Savannah De Sousa to take the free kick and she scored! This settled the Titans down and just 6 minutes later Quinta Addis received the ball in the midfield and took it all the way! The Titans were up 2 - 1 at half time. The 2nd half was all Titans! Our defense was stout. Casey McCloskey kept the speedy Monrovia forwards in check. Sidney Anderson chased down and saved the Lady Titans twice and Savannah kicked one away at the last second that was definitely going in the goal! In the 42nd minute Lindsay passed a ball to the right side and Annie Wenzlau popped it in over the Goalie's head from the 18 yard line. The game was put away in the 50th minute when Quinta Addis fed a perfect ball to Alex Schuster who took it down field and scored! Carlee Beckler finished the game with an amazing 12 saves! Final score: 4 - 1
Game 3 at Blair Friday, January 15th: The Lady Titans hammered Blair winning 6 - 0 for their 2nd consecutive win in League play. Up 2 - 0 at half time on scoring from Elizabeth Beardsley with assists from little sister Sarah and center mid Annie Wenzlau turned out to be just the beginning. An additional 4 goals were netted for the team by Quinta Addis who had 3, (1 unassisted, 1 PK and 1 from a perfectly placed corner kick by Annie Wenzlau) and defender Kylie Mace who struck gold from 20 yards out. The real story was in the shots on goal. The Lady Titans pounded the goal for 19 shots and the Blair goalie saved at least 5 that would have bumped the score even higher. Way to go Titans! Next up: Temple City at home 3:30 rain or shine.
Game 4 at home v. Temple City was played in the blowing storm on a rain-soaked field on Wednesday, January 20th. By the time both teams had "warmed-up" they were drenched. The puddles on the field caused even the hardest kicked ball to slow and die. Temple City took advantage of the conditions early when a ball was sent deep into their territory. Assuming ace-goal keeper Carlee Beckler would field it easily, the defenders pushed to mid-field. The ball landed in a puddle and died 15 yards outside the goalie box. Realizing the situation, Carlee rushed towards the ball but was beaten to it by a sprinting Ram who popped it over Carlee to put Temple City up early 1-0. The Lady Titans made some adjustments and took control of the game. Ten minutes later Quinta Addis sent a ball forward to a sprinting Annie Wenzlau who delivered into the right side of the net to tie the game at 1-1. The defense, thanks to the quickness of Sidney Anderson,Sarah Beardsley, Rebecca Morris and Casey McCloskey kept everything in check and by the time the refs blew the whistle for half time Annie had a hat trick with a free kick and another feed up the middle from Quinta. The 2nd half began and the rain came down even harder. In the first 10 minutes Savannah De Sousa scored on a perfect cross from Lindsay Miller and Catherine Barth fought through heavy water to force a ball forward to a sprinting Alex Schuster who popped it into the net to put the game out of reach for good! Final score: 5-1 Way to go Titans!
Game 5 at South Pasadena on Friday, January 22nd brought another wet and rainy day. The field was saturated and the rain was steady through the 1st half of play. The Lady Titans looked a little discombobulated to start the game; perhaps a little weary of playing all week in the cold rain, perhaps nervous about the pressure of playing San Marino's long-standing rival. Maybe South Pas. was feeling the pressure too. The steady rain kept play sloppy and unpredictable and mostly back and forth in the midfield until the 31st minute when Annie Wenzlau drew a foul 20 yards from the goal. She fired a bullet that hit the crossbar and ricocheted to Catherine Barth who used her left leg to put it into the net. We went to half time up 1-0. The rain dissipated in the 2nd half and both the Titans and Tigers intensified their play and defense on both teams played tough. Shots on goal were few and far between for both sides. South Pas goalie saved 5 hard shots and Carlee blocked 3 heading for the net. In the 70th minute Sydney Anderson took a corner kick that shot across the front of the goal and Elizabeth Beardsley stepped to it & headed a perfect shot in the left corner to put the Titans up for good! Final score: 2-0 At the end of the 1st half of the League season we stand at: 4-0-1 (tied for 1st with La Canada).
Game 6 at La Canada was a showdown for 1st place in Rio Hondo League and tensions ran high on the field and in the bleachers. A big "Whoop!" from the San Marino fans could be heard at the 4 minute mark when midfielder, Savannah De Sousa took a shot on goal from the 20 yard line. It floated just over the finger tips of La Canada's goalie and swished into the back of the net! And the battle was only beginning... The Lady Titans worked to keep control of the game the rest of the 1st half, but struggled getting shots off with the Lady Spartans tough defense. Only 3 shots on goal were taken by each team when the whistle blew to end the half. When the 2nd half began, the Spartans came out fired up and on the attack! The Lady Titan defense was a little rattled and couldn't find their rhythm. Casey McCloskey brought her high energy to clear the ball often, but the Spartans kept pressing. Rebecca Morris played smart soccer refusing to let La Canada's leading scorer get more than 1 shot on goal. Carlee's 5 saves kept the Titans alive. Nerves were high when sweeper, Annie Wenzlau, jumping for the ball that brushed her tucked elbow got called for a handball from 30 yards in front of the Titan goal. The shot was fired and barely went over the cross bar and out of play. Everyone exhaled. At the 64 minute mark, right defender Sarah Beardsely was injured on a play, went down & had to be helped off the field. The Spartans wore themselves down and the Lady Titans took back control. Defense played tough throughout, to keep the Spartans at bay and when the final whistle blew there was lots of jumping for joy on the field. It's the 1st Girls Soccer win over La Canada that anyone could remember! And the win puts the Lady Titans alone in 1st Place! Final Score: 1-0
Game 7 v. Monrovia was played under sunny skies for a nice change. The Lady Titans opened with several opportunities, but were unable to get any of the shots past a solid Wildcat Goalie. Actually, the Wildcats were on the scoreboard 1st when, in the 28th minute, defenders Casey McCloskey & Annie Wenzlau were both closing on the play and the player slipped through the middle and took a straight shot from the top of the box. We went to half time in an unfamiliar place; down 0-1. The 2nd half brought the Lady Titans back with more energy and intensity. In the 43rd minute Catherine Barth battled for the ball and punched forward to a streaking Elizabeth Beardsley who shot it into the right side of the net to tie the game. 9 minutes later Quinta Addis received a pass from the back field and took it straight down the center of the field before popping to the left where Elizabeth popped in her 2nd goal of the game. Defensive battles ensued on both ends of the field with both teams threatening numerous times but shots were diverted, off target or saved. Annie Wenzlau had a dramatic play when going for a header she flipped 180 degrees over a charging Wildcat landing hard on her right side. She shook it off. Savannah De Sousa was key in the midfield and came back to beef up the defense in the final minutes of the game. Carlee Beckler racked up 6 saves. The Lady Titans hung on for the victory! Final Score: 2-1
Game 8 v. Blair brought the rain back and the Lady Titans played on soggy turf against a short-manned Blair team. But even with only 9 Vikings on the field they kept the Titans moving. The rain pelted the players, wreaking havoc creating puddles and weighing down the ball. It wasn't until halfway through the 1st half that Savannah De Sousa found Nicole Jenkins who was able to finish with a shot to the right side of the net. Just minutes after the Vikings were called for a penalty in the box which Savannah took, sending a low ball to the left corner of the net. Coach took the girls in for a pep talk at the break and the Lady Titans came out and got things going early in the 2nd half. They fired shot after shot and credit Blair's goalie with 8 saves, including a blocked PK late in the game, or the score would have been a lot worse. Savannah did convert another PK and had an unassisted goal of her own when she hit a shot that just skimmed under the crossbar. Elizabeth Fu tallied her 1st goal of the season when she received a nice ball from Catherine Barth on the right side of the box and took a sliding that crossed in front of the goalie into the far left corner of the net. As always, defense was stout with Annie Wenzlau, Rebecca Morris, Casey McCloskey and Kiley Mace. Newcomer Christie Webb had some nice runs, as did Lindsay Miller to keep the Viking defenders on their heels until the end. Final Score: 5-0
Game 9 at Temple City was one for the record books. As wet as this season has been, the match up Temple City was half soccer, half mud-bowl. Small lakes consumed much of the field, but the Refs let them play. The Lady Titans struggled with the mud and awkward pace that comes when a well kicked ball hits the turf and dies... or takes and unexpected bounce and skips quickly down field. Temple City kept pressing, but the Titan defense and mid-field kept most of the play in Ram territory. In the 20th minute Annie Wenzlau took a corner kick that was cleared back to her. She crossed it in front of the goal and Elizabeth Beardsley charged the ball and somehow connected to put the ball in the net. We went to half up 1-0. The 2nd half brought the brunt of the storm upon the field, players and fans. The play continued and at times more closely resembled a "slip and slide" contest than a soccer match. The Lady Titans dominated play, firing shot after shot, but each was either off the mark or saved by the Temple City Goalie. The Rams made several charges of their own, but the defense and acrobatic saves by Carlee Beckler kept the Rams scoreless. In the 60th minute, Lady Titan forward Nicole Jenkins took a ball down the left sideline and got off a beautiful shot that ricocheted off the goalie and bounced at the feet of Quinta Addis who popped it in for the 2nd and final goal! San Marino wins! Final Score 2-0
Game 10 v. South Pasadena brought out the sun and the fans for the final game of League play against the cross-town rival. Although the Lady Titans clinched the title after the Temple City win, the Lady Titans were motivated to end the season undefeated. The Titans dominated play in the 1st half, but could not get close enough to the goal to take a shot. Finally in the 34th minute, Elizabeth Beardsley collected the ball from a South Pasadena defender on the left side of the goal and fired it into the back of the net. There was an audible sigh of relief and from then on, the Titans relaxed and played their game. In the 42nd minute, just after the half-time break, the Titans charged up field. Savannah De Sousa controlled the mid-field and pushed a beautiful ball up the center to an advancing Catherine Barth who took 2 touches and boomed it into the upper right corner of the goal. It ricicheted off the inside of the cross-bar and bounced in. Lindsay Miller had several outstanding sprints down field, but she was thwarted by the Tigers' defense. The Lady Titan defenders Annie Wenzlau, Casey McCloskey, Kylie Mace & Rebecca Morris kept the Tigers out of the back field for most of the game, but Carlee Beckler did come away with 4 saves. The play was rough at times and when objections were voiced Yellow Cards came in threes for the Titans for Savannah De Sousa (47th minute), Quinta Addis (48th minute) and Annie Wenzlau (73rd minute). When Alex Schuster was blatantly taken down just outside the box in the 75th minute and no card given to the Tiger defender, an eruption from the San Marino fans was loud and clear. The Lady Titans came away with an exciting win 2-0 to hold the top spot and claim the title "League Champs: Undefeated"! Pretty exciting stuff! Coach Jaime Acuna then recognized the seniors with a rose for each and thanking them for their hard work and contribution to the team. On to CIF!
