San Clemente, sometimes a little slow out of the gate, has made a habit of
jump-starting its season at the Santa Ana Foothill/Excalibur girls' soccer
tournament.
The Tritons won the 32-team invitational in 2003 and were the runners-up last
season.
"We're capable," co-Coach Stacey Finnerty said of his team's
chances. "If we can get our offense going."
The Tritons will have an opportunity to get going when their favorite
tournament takes place Wednesday through Friday at Foothill High
They could use the pick-me-up at the 17th annual event after failing to
advance out of pool play — or even to score a goal — in the Santa Ana
Mater Dei Premier Cup last week.
"We know what our strengths and weaknesses are," Finnerty said.
"We're just trying to get people in all the right positions."
San Clemente (4-2-1), which relies on senior midfielder Tanya Emerson and
senior forward Kailyn Kugler to lead its offense, was unable to capitalize at
Mater Dei and had to settle for a scoreless tie with Irvine Northwood and
losses to Long Beach Wilson and Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro in its last
three games.
"It was disappointing," Finnerty said. "The way the girls
played wasn't bad, but we just couldn't put our opportunities away."
Dawn Lee, the coach of defending tournament champion San Diego Cathedral
Catholic, knows the feeling.
The Dons, who defeated San Clemente, 2-0, in last year's final, are off to an
0-6-1 start, but have been hampered by injuries and illness.
Last season's San Diego Section Division III champion has scored only three
goals. Like San Clemente, the Dons played well but lost all their games in the
Mater Dei tournament, no doubt feeling the effects of losing seven seniors to
graduation.
"I didn't know what to expect," Lee said. "We're not playing
the easiest schedule. Hopefully, we'll be ready by Wednesday."
They will need to be.
The Excalibur tournament will include seven of the top 10 teams ranked
in the Southern Section Division I preseason coaches' poll.
Tesoro, which entered the season as the top team in Division I and is ranked
No. 19 nationally by Student Sports, leads the field. Like San Clemente and
Cathedral Catholic, however, the Titans (5-1-2) had a disappointing showing in
the Mater Dei tournament.
They failed to get out of pool play as a result of ties with Long Beach Wilson
and Northwood and will be looking to rebound at Excalibur, where they finished
third last year.
"We've worked hard this week and I believe we're gradually getting
better," said Nick Schofield, Tesoro's first-year coach.
The Titans are led by senior forward Natalie Romine, who has nine goals. She
plans to play at Yale next year.
Tesoro should also benefit from the return of senior midfielder Kylie Wright,
who sat out the Mater Dei tournament while playing with the U.S. under-17
national team. She has committed to UCLA.
"The girls are all in for it. They want to do well," Schofield said.
"My expectations are really only to go in there and keep improving."
Lakewood Mayfair, which is ranked No. 1 in Division III and played
Orange Lutheran to a scoreless draw in last season's Division III championship
game, is one of six first-time participants in the tournament.
Other newcomers include North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, last
season's Southern Section Division I runner-up, as well as Irvine Beckman, Manhattan
Beach Mira Costa, Thousand Oaks, and, from Northern California,
Belmont Notre Dame.
"There's a lot of teams that are going to be very competitive," said
Mark Bianchetti, tournament director. "We basically have everything ready
to go. Our only concern is, knock on wood, cross your fingers for the
weather."
In 2004, the final two days of the three-day event were canceled because of
rain.
