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Updated December 6th, 2007
Spartans Sweep Rialto in Playoffs
 Photo courtesy Libby Franzen
Amanda Gartside fires a throwin.
The La Cañada High School varsity
girls’ soccer team started the season
with three wins, averaging more
than five goals per contest.
In the first game at Glendale High
School, returning Rio Hondo League
offensive MVP Nancy Avesyan
scored all five goals in a 5-2 victory.
Sophomore midfielder Rachel
Ragusa had three assists in the game.
“It was a typical first game for
us,” said LCHS coach Louie Bilowitz. “Since we do not have sixth
period soccer, our first week of practice
is not until mid-November and is
in reality a week of tryouts. So we
have had minimum practice time to
get all these girls to adopt the system
of play that will be the standard for
the year. Thus, the first half was quite
ragged, but we stepped up our defensive
pressure in the second half,
allowing us to control the play. The
aggressive play of freshman midfielder
Lisa Lim helped to create
offensive opportunities because the
Glendale defense had to deal with her
and open things up for Nancy. I was
glad to see the team implement the
halftime adjustments.”
The next day, the Spartans dominated
visiting Burroughs High
School en route to a 7-0 victory.
Junior midfielder Milly Beebee had a
hat trick with Avesyan, a senior forward,
registering three assists.
Freshman Holly Shreckengast scored
her first high school goal with senior
defender Jenelle Rotenberg creating
two assists.
Senior all-league defender Jessica Pih led the defensive unit.
Junior midfielder Kat Chew scored
an early goal that set the tone for
the game.
On Friday, LCHS rolled to a 4-
0 win over Pasadena La Salle, last
year’s CIF champions. The first half
was a tight game due to the intense
pressure of the young La Salle
team.
The Spartans broke the ice
when Holly Shreckengast blasted a
perfect dead ball service from
Jenelle Rotenberg into the back of
the net. Still, it took a goal by
Rotenberg later in the half to lower
the adrenaline of the La Salle team.
In the second half, Avesyan
rocketed a 25-yard shot into the
goal just below the cross bar. Later,
she dribbled through three defenders
and the keeper. “Our focus this
game was greater than that of the
first two games,” said Bilowitz. “I
was able to see the team start to
play within our system of play for
the first time this season. It will take
the entire preseason and at least half
of league play for the girls to have
our system of play become a habit,
but it will happen.
“I was very pleased with the
dominant play of the defensive
back four: junior Jeannie Wojslaw
and seniors Jenelle Rotenberg,
Jessica Pih and Nikki Nathan. And
what can you say about our senior
keeper, Colleen Boyd? The Oregon
State-bound keeper saved everything
that came her way.
“I committed to coaching the
girls for five years to rebuild the program,
and this is my fifth season,” Bilowitz added. “This team has the
leadership and technique to be successful.
With the depth thanks to
sophomore forward Thalia Gochez
and sophomore midfielder Brooke
WIlliams, junior defender Amanda
Teng and senior defender Amanda
Gartside, this team has the potential
to be one of the top teams in CIF. If
we stay healthy, the product that this
team will put on the field in January
should be very sophisticated and a
pleasure to watch.”
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