Varsity pros and freshmen round out line up
The San Benito High girl’s varsity soccer team has been in
rebuilding mode since 2005
– the year All-League players Jennifer Rose Vandenberg and Mary
Von Urff graduated. But this year it appears the Balers have turned
the corner and could make a run at a league title and beyond.
Varsity pros and freshmen round out line up
The San Benito High girl’s varsity soccer team has been in rebuilding mode since 2005 – the year All-League players Jennifer Rose Vandenberg and Mary Von Urff graduated. But this year it appears the Balers have turned the corner and could make a run at a league title and beyond.
Thanks to a strong core group of returning players as well as a freshman standout at forward, who leads the team in the early scoring, are playing well on both sides of the ball.
Currently the Balers are two games over .500 in non-league play, and will officially put their skills to the test in the Tri-County Athletic League opener Dec. 12 at Notre Dame High School in Salinas.
“Last year, we had many freshmen and sophomore players that we were trying to develop,” said Mike Schurig, San Benito High’s soccer coach. “We struggled because we weren’t able to finish games. This year, we are definitely on our way back. We’re really developing well. We have no individual super stars like we had when Rose (Vandenberg) was here, but we’re well-balanced and we have a lot of depth.”
And that’s good news for fans of the Balers soccer team who watched them go through a grueling 4-13-3 season overall. Last year, North Salinas won the league championship and Gilroy High School finished in second place for the second season in a row. Both of those schools are expected to be the favorites again.
“Notre Dame is up and coming, too,” said Schurig, who is now in his sixth season with the Balers. “Salinas can’t be counted out either. There are a lot of good teams.”
Schurig hopes his team is one of them.
This season the Balers take the field with a number of solid players. In goalie, the Balers will look to sophomore Emily Key to get the job done. Key was moved to the position after Schurig decided to shift senior team captain Ashley Perreira from the keeper spot to the high-profile sweeper position.
“I needed to beef up our defense so I put Ashley out in the field,” he said. “She sees the field from a goal keeper’s eyes. She’s an excellent keeper, too. She used to back up Von Urff, but she’s fantastic on defense.”
Schurig has been pleased with the switch, and with Key in goal, he believes his team doesn’t miss a beat.
“She has no fear in there,” he said. “She’s very coachable.”
Key saw a great deal of playing time in goal last year as a freshman.
One position that hasn’t seen any changes in the past three years has been at forward, where junior Rachel Maheu has held down the fort since her freshman year. Last season, Maheu led the team in scoring with 16 goals. So far this season she has one.
“She’s got really good speed and she’s experienced,” Schurig said. “She’s also been passing the ball off more and finding the open player.”
The recipient of most of those passes has been freshman standout Sophie Coelho, who plays in the other forward slot along side Maheu. So far, Schurig has been impressed with Coelho’s ability to score.
“She’s gotten over the nervousness of being a freshman, and she’s shown excellent speed and ball control. She not afraid to take shots,” he said.
Already this season Coelho has three goals to her credit, which leads the team.
“We’ve had freshman start before at the varsity level, but it’s still pretty rare. Not only is she starting but she’s playing the whole game,” Schurig said.
While Maheu and Coelho are in charge of the scoring up top, senior midfielder Brittany Huth is considered the anchor of the team, according to Schurig. Huth is a four-year varsity player, who has shown enough versatility over the years to play every position on the field except goalie.
“We’ve played her at sweeper, forward, midfielder, just about everywhere,” Schurig said. “If we need more defense, she plays on the defense. She’s an excellent player.”
Another senior to watch this year in the Baler starting lineup is Carly Brigantino. A three-year varsity player Brigantino plays along side Perreira in the defensive backfield. Schurig is most impressed with her aggressive style of play and tenacity on the field.
“She helps the keeper and Ashley (Perreira) out,” he said. “She can turn a defensive save into an offensive play with her ability to pass the ball up to the attackers. It must be because of her softball experience, but she also has one of the best slide tackles that I’ve ever seen.”
With those players scattered in key positions throughout the field, it’s no wonder that Schurig’s expectations in 2006 are a lot higher than they were a year ago. Still, his biggest concern is the team’s ability to finish or win the close games.
“Last year, we really weren’t a bad team but finishing was our problem,” Schurig said. “We had three ties last year and six one-run games. That’s nine games out of 20 that could have been wins with better finishing. That means we need to score more. On top of that, we want to continue to support one another as a team.”
