Girls soccer team opens league play
Ramona High School’s girls soccer team will open Valley League play with a game at Mount Carmel on Jan. 6. The team enters league play with a 2-2-2 record.
The girls had a a 7-0 win Dec. 15 at El Cajon Valley. They opened the season Dec. 8 with a 2-2 tie at home against El Camino, but, after learning that one of the players was academically ineligible, the Bulldogs forfeited that game. The ineligible player did not participate in Ramona’s 4-1 win Dec. 9 at Calexico.
Two of the Bulldogs’ three games in the Vaqueros Tournament this month ended in a tie and one in a loss.
In Ramona’s El Cajon Valley game, the girls led by a 4-0 score at halftime.
Goalkeeper Maria Solis recorded the shutout with the help of starting defenders Gina Lucas, Erika Stinchcomb, Emily Vandervort and Bronwen Waring.
Alexis Hogan led the offense with three goals and one assist, Sylvia Carona scored two goals against the Braves, Dylan Argyelan tallied one goal and one assist, Lexi Slater put one ball into the net, and Stinchcomb added an assist.
The Bulldogs played three games Dec. 19, including two road matches in the Vaqueros Tournament. The game at Monte Vista began at 8 a.m. and ended in a 1-1 tie. Ramona led 1-0 at halftime, courtesy of a goal from Briana Gansch, whose shot from about 25 yards out went over the Monarch goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net. With about four minutes left, Monte Vista was awarded a penalty kick and scored the equalizer.
Although she could not stop the penalty kick, Solis made 11 saves against the Monarchs.
The game at Grossmont High School began at 3 p.m., and Grossmont captured a 3-1 victory. The Foothillers led 2-0 at halftime while Ramona’s only goal was a second-half shot by Hogan off a corner kick from Silvia Villegas.
The annual varsity-alumni game also took place Dec. 19 with the girls starting at 7 p.m. The 1-1 tie saw both goals scored in the second half, including Villegas’ tally to give the varsity a 1-0 lead.
Ramona concluded tournament play Dec. 21 at Santana and played to another 1-1 tie. Hogan scored the game’s first goal with an assist from Gansch, and the Bulldogs led 1-0 at halftime.
With 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Santana put in the equalizer on a volley from about 15 yards out that followed a cross.
The Bulldogs’ 0-1-2 record in the tournament placed Ramona second in its pool, and Ramona did not advance to the elimination rounds.