The Carmel High boys’ and girls’ soccer coaches are pumped and ready for this year’s soccer season.
Once again, Whitney Grummon is the coach for the girls’ varsity soccer team and is excited to see such a high level of interest and “a new crop” of girls this year. Only 12 of the 15 girls that played last year are returning for this season, and of the girls returning, nine are seniors and three are juniors.
One of the returning players is senior Haven Parker, Grummon’s daughter, who thinks that one of the team’s weaknesses is “not following through” with the shots.
Coach Grummon (left) going through kickking drills with the varsity girls from last year and a couple new girls trying out this year.
“Alea would do a giant kick, then people would just watch it,” Parker says of fellow senior Alea Nystrom.
Parker adds that the strengths are the team has girls with a big kick and that they pass pretty well. There are definitely a lot of younger people; there are three freshmen on varsity already this year, and she thinks that the most important players on the team both years are Nystrom and the goalkeepers.
The top scorers for the girls last year were Brooke Vierra with ten goals, Angie Savoldi and Mia Muegge with six goals each and Lauren Tracey and Paxton Ataide, both with four goals, the first three of whom have graduated. Their backup goalie, senior Gabby Lahti, saved a total of 13 goals.
Julianna House, a senior and the team’s main goalie, says that she does not think that the team has many weaknesses except for the communication the team lacked.
“I think the strengths are that we had really fast players and great defenders,” House says. “So we basically had skilled girls in each position which really helps us…because everyone can trust everyone.”
Grummon says there are only three seniors that have been on the varsity team for all four years—Nystrom, Emily Fitzpatrick and Parker, who will also be the team captains.
“All the girls together make the team strong,” Grummon says. “There is no one girl that stands out. There will be 20 out of the 40 girls that tried out that make it on the varsity team this year.”
According to the Monterey Bay Prep Report, the girls’ overall record last year was 8-10-2.
Junior Guadalupe Martinez prepares for goalie for the first time adding depth to the varsity girls soccer team.
For the boys, varsity coach for the second year in a row is José Ramos, who says that about 10 of the boys from last year’s varsity team will be returning. There will be about 30 boys trying out—most of whom will be freshman.
Senior Aldo Resendiz comments on the team’s weaknesses from last year.
“There was a new coach and the coach doesn’t know us very well…. Too much running and less touching the ball and other stuff.”
Junior José “Pepe” Reyes says, “Our team needs to work harder to get the bond that we need to be successful, but so far we are getting along well and it looks to be a great season because we have the talent to make it one.”
The last time that the boys’ team was named the MTAL champs was in 2009-2010. They are hoping to earn the title again this year. Ramos thinks the boys’ varsity team will be able to make it to CCS again this year because they have “more time to get ready this year.”
Last year, the boys’ soccer team made it to the first round of CCS before losing to Menlo (1-0). Their leading scorers were Max Yeater with six goals, Joe Taormina, who all graduated last year, Daniel Zito with three goals and Andrew Good with two goals.
Their overall record was 5-9-3.
-Kim Burns
