The Culver City High School girls’ soccer team kicked off the season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Notre Dame Academy on Monday at the Jerry Chabola Field.
Their next home game will be Friday at 5 against Lynwood.
When the Lady Centaurs were warming up for their opener, Coach Scott Mair looked concerned.
“I told the girls I did not like the way they were communicating and passing the ball,” Mair said. “When the game started, they put everything together. They played a good game. This team will surprise a lot of people.”
The Lady Centaurs have enjoyed success the last few years. They won the Ocean league two years ago and finished a close second to Santa Monica last year.
This year league play will be more challenging. El Segundo and Lawndale have been added.
The Lady Centaurs will look for senior leadership to help them navigate a tough schedule. “We have two senior captains, the leaders of this team,” Mair said. “Tatianna Estrada and Isabel Deharo are very vocal. They help relay the message to the players.”
Estrada seems to be ready for a strong season. “We graduated 12 seniors, so this is a fresh new team,” said Estrada after the win over Notre Dame Academy. “It’s a whole new environment. “It was nice to see all the girls working together.”
Senior Isabella Avincola scored the only goal of the game. “It felt really good to score,” she said. “We have a lot of new girls. But we all click t when the game starts. We have good chemistry, a quick forward line and a quick defense.”
Sophomore midfielder Amanda Jaramillo is one of the quickest. On Monday she was one of the best players on the field. “We played a good game,” she said, “a lot of passing and combination plays. I expect good things from this team. We have a good set of girls.”
Goalkeeper junior Emily Cadena was another effective Lady Centaur. “Our defenders were fantastic,” she said. “They were always on the move, especially Megan (Gerez) and Tatianna. “We have speed, and they always have my back.”
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