First published in the Feb. 24 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Mayfield Senior varsity girls’ soccer team continued its roll through the CIF-SS Division 4 postseason after earning another blowout victory over visiting Paraclete, 6-1, in a quarterfinal match on Saturday. It took just four minutes for senior captain Sonja Smeritschnig to score the first of her haul (four goals), which tied her career-high for single-game.
Senior Charlotte Potter and junior Kaitlyn Gomez each tallied a goal, while junior Mckenzie Keelty and freshman Tessa Neal were each credited with one assist.
The Cubs previously shut out host Ventura, 3-0, in a second-round match last Wednesday. Smeritschnig and Gomez each had one goal and one assist, Neal scored once, and junior Ella Gallo tallied one assist. Sophomore goalie Ellery Potter was credited with the shutout victory.
Mayfield opened the CIF playoffs by routing visiting Indio Shadow Hills, 6-1, in a first-round match as Neal registered her first career hat trick. Smeritschnig finished with one goal and one assist while Gallo found the back of the net once.
The Cubs (18-2-2 overall record) traveled to Lakewood St. Joseph (11-2-3 overall) for a semifinal match yesterday; the result was unavailable by the Outlook’s press deadline. Mayfield is 9-2-1 on the road this season, while St. Joseph is 4-1-3 at home. Chadwick of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the only common opponent between the two schools, defeated St. Joseph 3-2 in early December, while Mayfield finished 1-0-1 over Chadwick during the regular season.
If the Cubs won, they would advance to the CIF championship game to meet either Arcadia (11-3-3 overall) or Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (17-1-2 overall) this Saturday, Feb. 26.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves were ousted from the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs after losing at El Segundo, 3-0, in a quarterfinal match last Saturday. Flintridge Prep was shut out for the second time this month while previously only being held scoreless during a tie with Apple Valley on Dec. 11, 2021.
The Wolves’ season ended with a 15-2-2 overall record while finishing as Prep League champions with a 6-1 record. Flintridge Prep will look to next season and earn its first CIF title since 2018.
The Wolves cruised to an easy 5-1 second-round victory at Santa Barbara last Wednesday. Junior Nadya Lamarr scored two goals, while junior Chayse Lim-Ying and freshman Valentina Mancilla each tallied one goal and one assist. Junior Sage Shurman added one goal.
The Wolves made quick work of their first-round opponent by shutting out visiting Canyon High of Canyon Country, 4-0, on Feb. 12. Shurman collected two goals and one assist, Lamarr registered one goal and one assist, and freshman Dagny Marion scored once. Lim-Ying and freshman Celeste Davila each tallied one assist.
MARANATHA
The Minutemen were eliminated from the CIF-SS Division 6 postseason after being edged by host Oro Grande Riverside Prep, 1-0, in a second-round match last Wednesday. Maranatha had scored three goals in each of its two previous postseason matchups.
The Minutemen survived the first round after defeating host Ramona Convent of Alhambra, 3-2, on Feb. 12 as senior captain Zoe Sabado registered a hat trick.
Maranatha also won its wildcard match at El Monte Arroyo, 3-1, on Feb. 10. Senior captains Laila Baer, Maya Bonk and Sabado each scored one goal.
The Minutemen placed third in the Olympic League with a 2-3-3 record while finishing the season 8-7-3 overall. Maranatha will return to action next season, searching for its first league title since 2015, the same year the school won the state divisional championship, while also aiming for the Minutemen’s first CIF title since 1998.
