Junior forward named MVP; SHS and LOHS combine for 15 BVAL
honors
MORGAN HILL — Junior forward Jennae Cambra was named Santa Teresa Division MVP last week by conference coaches, becoming the first Sobrato soccer player to win the award.
After sitting out her sophomore season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Cambra led the Santa Teresa with 55 points, including a league-best 25 goals and five assists. She helped the Lady Bulldogs (10-3-8 overall, 7-1-6 league) win a share of a third league championship in four years and reach the Central Coast Section Division II quarterfinals
“I would say we’re going to be more than competitive next year with Jennae back,” said Sobrato coach Paul Nishimatsu, whose team is moving back up to the Mount Hamilton Division. “We’re going to have eight very talented seniors in the mix, so we’ll be peaking at the right time.”
The Bulldogs produced seven league honorees, and each is set to return for the 2010-11 season. Sobrato’s first-team selections were junior forward Marissa Benjamin, junior midfielder Janelle Cisneros and sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Cropp. Junior midfielders Nika Burnett and Rachel Bakin were named to the second team as was freshman defender Kate Van Keulen.
Live Oak merited the same all-league treatment after winning the Mount Hamilton title outright and reaching the Division III semifinals. Forward/midfielder Fabi Diaz, the Lady Acorns’ only starting senior, was joined on the first-team list by sophomore forward Megan Rauschnot and sophomore defender Sam Riolo.
Midfielders Amanda Morgan and Tiffany Geer earned special recognition as Co-Junior and Sophomore of The Year, respectively, for Live Oak (13-5-4, 10-3-1). Both made second-team all league along with junior defender Kayla Cisneroz.
“I’m really excited because we had a young team this year and did will,” Acorns coach Tony Vasquez said. “I’m looking forward to things to come. We’ll have at least a two-year window to achieve our goal of winning CCS.”
The local girls soccer scene will be at full tilt next season when Sobrato and Live Oak square off as league foes for the first time in three years. Both local coaches agreed there’s a good chance the Mount Hamilton title will stay in Morgan Hill.
“I hope so,” Vasquez said. “There’s a lot of teams to look out for in this league, and Sobrato’s definitely going to be one of them.”
