CHS athletes commit

Congratulations to Pam Vranis for accepting an offer to play soccer at Johns Hopkins University of the Centennial Conference. Pam has been on varsity for four years playing forword and midfield. Good luck to Pam on becoming a Blue Jay.

Congratulations to Harris Fanarroff for accepting an offer to play baseball at Lehigh University of the Patriot League. Harris has been on varsity for three years as a pitcher. Good luck to Harris on becoming a Mountain Hawk.

The Observer would like to honor athletes who will be taking their game to the college level. Please notify The Observer when you or someone you know commits. Please email the Observations editor at bdhirsch@comcast.net

Soccer organization assists girls abroad

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is using soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth in foreign countries. A non-profit organization based in San Francisco, SWB raises money for disadvantaged youth who lack access to quality sport and education opportunities.

The program caters to young women in particular because in many countries, women do not receive the same privileges and opportunities as men.

Founded in 2006 by former Lehigh University soccer player Ben Gucciardi, the program runs projects in Central America, Asia and Africa.

“Kids are given opportunities to be involved in teams, practices and events where they feel part of a group and community,” said Katlin Okamoto, director of girls programs for SWB. “Beyond the stability they get in knowing that there will be practice every week or an event on the weekends, they are also building relationships with their peers and mentors that positively affect their everyday lives.”

SWB hopes the young women who participated in this organization will grow up to realize that it is possible for them to be successful and take the initiative to continue making positive changes in their communities. 

For more information, email info@soccerwithoutborders.org, or call (415) 587-1399.

Injury, inexperience lead to slow start for boys soccer

Senior captain Cameron Kidwell came off the field after a 2-1 loss to Northwest Sept. 22 exhausted, frustrated and incensed. He managed to calmly say one thing: “We’ve got to make some changes.”
Kidwell scored the only goal for the Bulldogs that night, which is nothing new considering he has scored every goal for CHS this season. The general consensus of the team is that there is much room for improvement after getting off to an 0-3 start.
“Our defense needs some work, our goaltending needs to get better, we need to play quicker, and we need to shoot more,” senior Sam Bradley said.
Bradley and senior captain Brendan Warshauer both sat out of the Northwest game and the Sept. 12 Good Counsel game due to injury. The midfield was not as fluid with Bradley out of the mix, and the defense was clearly bested without Warshauer starting at back in the 2-1 loss to Good Counsel.
“We didn’t do a good job providing back support in order to handle their speed on attack,” coach Arnold Tarzy said. “After they scored their two goals, our backs adjusted, played well, eliminated the danger and turned the game around.”
Saying that Kidwell has had to pick up most of the slack offensively is an understatement. Even though Kidwell has been able to score in every game, the offense is clearly suffering from the injuries. The Bulldogs hope that Bradley’s return will help the offense return to form.
“He’s a really technical player,” Kidwell said. “He knows how to get by people and score. He’s a playmaker.”
Tarzy plans to use the team’s athleticism to create chances in the offensive zone. Tactical spacing will be essential for CHS to succeed.
“Strategy for us is to spread the field and possess the ball and find our opportunities to score from there,” Tarzy said. “In doing this the other team begins to chase and that will take them out of their game and cause them to focus on how to solve us.”
The team has the skill to get the job done, but the undersized squad needs to be more aggressive to compete with other teams.
“We have potential,” Kidwell said. “We have a very technical team. We need to be a little tougher.”
Kidwell needs help and fast. While he has had a terrific season so far, he needs players to return from injury in order for CHS to start winning games.
“I need to score 20 goals this year and I have to create chances,” Bradley said, “I have to be Kobe Bryant.”

Girls Soccer rolls through early games

“Break a leg” is a common expression generally meaning good luck. However, when junior Meili Sohl broke her leg in the first girls soccer scrimmage, it was anything but lucky.
The team was expecting Sohl to step up as a key midfielder for the team this season.  Despite her injury, the girls soccer team expects a complete turn-around after a 5-6-1 finish last season.
“Losing her obviously has an effect on our play, but it is a loss emotionally as well,” Hakopian said.  “We have a very close-knit team and a serious injury like Meili’s affects all of us.”
The Bulldogs lost just one starter from last year’s team and have four players returning who missed last season due to injury.  The core of the team this season will be its juniors.

CHS was without senior Pam Vranis last season after tearing a knee ligament.  As a sophomore, she was an All-Met selection and star forward for the team.

“Having Vranis back from her ACL injury is going to make a huge impact on our team this year,” junior Rachel Marincola said.  “She’s really an amazing player and I think she’ll help us a lot.”

Along with Vranis, expectations are high for Marincola, junior Alexis Shay and sophomore Jenna Cantor.  The team is full of talent, but Hakopian knows players must work hard in order to reach their potential.

“This year, our focus has been understanding that we are talented, but realizing that talent by itself is not enough,” Hakopian said.

The team started off the season with a dominating 7-0 victory over Bullis and a strong 2-0 victory over Sidwell Friends.  There is immense excitement surrounding the Bulldogs who are currently ranked fourth in the county rankings.  They opened their county schedule with a 3-1 victory over Northwest Sept. 22.  Vranis added two goals and junior Mariah Schoch had a goal in the victory.

Many of the players are looking ahead to their second county game against Walter Johnson.  Former CHS assistant coach Liz Friedman took the head coaching job at Walter Johnson prior to this season.

“We want to show her that she made the wrong decision in leaving our team,” Vranis jokingly said.

The Bulldogs believe the Walter Johnson game will be a good test of where they stand in comparison to the rest of the county. 

“We are excited for the season and expect to contend for a regional title,” Hakopian said.