Photo Credit: Mrs. Walla
Senior Ryan Walla
December 1, 2011
Cyril Sambrano
Senior Ryan Walla plays varsity soccer. A veteran of the sport since 2001, Ryan participated in baseball and martial arts. After the soccer season, Ryan runs for the school’s track team as well. Ryan’s father used to play soccer as a kid, which got him to try it and eventually he ended up loving the sport. Freshman year was when he started to play competitively and improve due to hard work and a great coach who set the foundation for him. His coach taught him all the basics and helped him move onto a more difficult level of playing the game. Ryan expects this year’s team to do well as long as the players maintain good grades and get a great team chemistry going on the field. Ryan said, “We have the potential to be in the top three schools in our district as long as we make sure that we don’t lose any of our key players.” Outside of school, Ryan plays for the Mission Valley United (MVU) club, which is the competitive team for Fremont. He is the one of the captains of the club and hopes that he can be the captain for this year’s soccer team at Washington. During his freshman and sophomore year, Ryan played for the junior varsity team and moved up to varsity as a junior. He loves the fact that the school team has different players from different clubs bonding together as a team to show pride in their school. He hopes to play soccer in college and will definitely play for an intramural or club team at the college he will attend. Ryan’s favorite memory while playing soccer was when he was in Belize on a mission trip and was playing against the local team. He scored a goal as he got body checked by one of the opposing team’s players. As he was lying on the ground, he wondered why everyone was cheering when he got hit but soon realized that he had scored a goal.
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March 2, 2010
Bach Phan
After claiming the MVAL league title, the girls’ soccer team lost to California High, 2-0, in their first round of NCS, Feb. 17. The team has been plagued by various injuries during the season, including torn ACLs, knee injuries and various other small injuries. Junior Natalie Sanchez was injured in the first ten minutes of the game. The Cal High team consisted of only ten players, but the girls seemed physically larger than the Huskies. Washington was also at a disadvantage before the game started. They had a two-day break between playoffs and NCS, while Cal High had a four-day break.
“Cal High was good even with only ten players on the team. We just didn’t bring our A game,” senior Megan Leibowitz said.
The first goal scored was a cross and finish by the Grizzlies midfielder Kayla Santacruz, giving Cal High a 1-0 lead. The second goal was a deflection off of the sweeper (the last player on defense). It was scored by Cal Highs’s Rachel Feldman, giving the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead. The Grizzlies easily passed around Washington’s defense, and they found their rhythm after constantly attacking the Huskies goal. Washington played a more defensive game due to the injuries to their offensive players sustained from the week of playoffs. Later in the game, the team played better, but they were unable to dig themselves out of the hole.
“I felt sad that our season was over, but happy that we at least won MVAL [playoffs] and we recovered from numerous injuries,” junior Andrea Bonilla said.
This article originally appeared in print on March 2, 2010. It has been modified to correct style and grammatical errors.
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March 2, 2010
Kaylee Miu
“Technical, tactical, mental and physical excellence are the four cornerstones of a house that all great soccer players must have,” varsity coach Ron Chell said. “And like a house, without one [cornerstone], it is incomplete.”
After great consideration, one player rose to meet the challenge.
Co-captain senior Lauren Floro has played soccer for over 13 years. During her three years playing for WHS, she led the Huskies to a 7-3-2 league record, MVAL league title and round one of sectional (NCS).
“Without my teammates, I wouldn’t even be close to where I am today,” Floro said.
Although Floro started the season as a forward, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Later in the season, she suffered a shin contusion and was moved to play defense.
“Even though Lauren was injured at our Mission game, her ability to step up to the plate and play in was inspirational,” Chell said.
Floro has committed to the UC Riverside. She dedicates her success to her grandmother, who was her number one fan.
“If Lauren pursues a coaching career, who knows where she may go,” Chell said.
This article originally appeared in print on March 2, 2010. It has been modified to correct style and grammatical errors.
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March 2, 2010
Yama Hazheer
Senior Chase Brower has been playing soccer for almost his whole life.
“I got into soccer at two years old when my dad was playing. I always kick the ball in the backyard with my brother,” Brower said. “I’ve always loved it because my dad played in high school and then went on to play in the police Olympics.”
This past season, Brower played defense for the boys varsity team. Despite an injury sustained to his kicking foot earlier in the season, he still played the majority of the games. By playing with the injury, Brower motivated his teammates to give their best effort on the field.
“When Chase came to practice with the injury, it encouraged us to play harder,” senior Antonio Garcia said. “It was nice to see him play even though he was injured. It showed that he was dedicated.”
The team did not win as often as Brower would have liked, but he still enjoyed going out on the field and playing hard. He gave it his all on the field on defense, and the opposing team would usually get frustrated because of the tactics he used on the field to prevent them from passing him.
Brower intends to play soccer for Ohlone College next year.
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December 9, 2009
Kaylee Miu
The MVAL league opened Nov. 8 for Washington’s girls soccer team as they faced American at Tak Fudenna Stadium. The game ended in a tie. American started the game with a goal within the first two minutes of the game. The huskies quickly retaliated and worked the field. Juniors Paige Diamond and Tamara Achanzar scored one goal each, giving Washington a 2-1 lead over the Eagles. However, just as the girls thought they had sealed the win, an American forward player scored a goal in the last thirty seconds of the game, tying the game at 2-2.
“[Our performance] was okay for our first game, but we definitely could have beat American. We have a lot of room for improvement,” senior Julia Bartolo said.
This season, the varsity team added three freshmen players for a total of 22 girls and a new coach, Ron Shell, former goalie for Notre Dame de Namur University. With a 1-1-1 pre season record, defeating Hayward (1-0), tying Los Lamos (2-2) and losing to Livermore (0-2), the girls are ready to train hard to defeat rival Mission San Jose at Tak Fundenna Nov. 10. Losing 4-1 and 3-0 to Mission San Jose last season, the girls are ready to come back for a win.
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