Tesoro Winter Sports performed especially well this year as girls soccer and both girls and boys basketball qualified for the CIF Southern Section 2022 Division 2 Championships, and boys soccer qualified for the CIF Southern Section 2022 Division 1 Championships. With a bittersweet ending, girls basketball fell to Sage Hill High School in Round 1, boys basketball fell to La Mirada High School in Round 2, and boys soccer lost to Cathedral High School in Round 1. It is here that the Tesoro Girls Soccer Program especially excelled, making it all of the way to the quarter-finals.
Tesoro Girls Soccer placed third in league, with a 3-2-3 record, against all Division 1 teams. This earned them a number two ranking going into the CIF draw. Their first game was away against South Hills High School at the Covina District Field on Saturday, February 12.
In the successful match, our Lady Titans shake off the drive to West Covina and come in strong with lots of offensive pressure. In the first half, offensive power-house, senior Natalie Pina, finishes a cross from defender Emily Miner to put Tesoro ahead 1-0. However, again in the first-half, South Hills shoots from distance and scores to tie up the game. Still dominating, Tesoro comes into the second half strong, with Natalie Pina getting fouled inside of the 18-yard box, thus allowing for a penalty kick opportunity. Stepping up to the plate once more, Pina scores her chance and gives Tesoro their 2-1 win.
Round 2 was at the Titan Stadium on Wednesday, February 16 against Yorba Linda High School. With an incredible student section filling the stands, the girls are on fire with high offensive pressure and a solid back line. Although the Titans are dominating, they come out of the first-half tied at zeros. However, half-time talks by Head Coach George Deverrick and Assistant Coach Jason Kirkwood rally the girls to get an early goal at the beginning of the second half. Because of offensive superstar, senior Britton Kerby, the Titans get a 1-0 win, allowing them to move on to the quarter finals.
On the road, these girls travel to Rancho Cucamonga to play Los Osos High School on Saturday, February 19. After a long bus ride, the Titans show up with grit and determination to make it to the semi-finals, which would also qualify them to make State.
Early in the first-half, junior Lissie Rimer, whips a shot from 35-yards out to the top right corner of the goal. Though shortly after, Los Osos is able to finish a fumbling ball inside of our 18-yard box. After coming out of the first half 1-1, these girls hold strong in both their offensive and defensive play. However, when two yellow cards, thus a red card, is given to Jaclyn Degidio, our Titans are left to play 10 players versus 11 players for the rest of the game. Not only this, but another red card is given out to senior Rainie Clark which leaves the Titans only nine players against 11. 20 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute periods of overtime later, our girls finally makeit to a shootout.
Even with two players down, our girls are able to keep the game tied, making it all of the way to penalty kicks. As our first kicker, Britton Kerby goes up to shoot, Los Osos home crowd erupts into whistles, stomps, yells, and mic tapping from the announcer. As this disrespectful crowd continues through only Tesoro’s penalty kick takers, Tesoro misses their first, third, and fourth kick while Los Osos only misses their first.
Though the game ended in a loss, the girls couldn’t be more proud of the season they played. Within the last four years, the girls soccer program has never made it to CIF, so this is a great accomplishment for our Lady ballers.