Culver City Observer -

Culver City high girls soccer is only week away to start defending the Ocean League title and go for a three-peat of consecutive league championships. The team is currently 7-3-1 as they open the league season at 3:00 p.m., this Wednesday, January 8, at Santa Monica High. Last season under head coach Pete Bartlett, they finished tied for first with Beverly Hills High with a 7-2-1 league record and were 17-8-4 overall.

The Centaur girls capped off their non-league season with a 2-0 shutout over Windward School this past Saturday morning at Culver City High. It was their first match coming off of Winter Break. "This game was really about getting back into the good habits, get rid of the rust over the winter period," said Bartlett.

"Get good touches, good passes. Just get a bit more confident on the ball because they've had a least ten days off from working together. It's really important for us to make sure we're ready and prepared so everyone could get back and participate today."

The Centaurs took a 1-0 lead early in the first half with on a corner kick delivered by Lia Agapitos resulting in Jasmine Andrade's fine header into the back, right corner of the net. "It was a great delivery from Lia. She's a freshman but she can knock a ball really, really well."

"The fact that Jasmine attacked it, got good header on it. Windward were very good from set pieces. They're very dangerous. The fact that we were able to score against them on that, definitely a plus." It was Andrade's second goal of the season.

The Culver City girls kept up the pressure in the second half and scored the insurance goal with about 10 minutes left in the match. Forward Charlie Kayem chased down a pass and moved towards the goal between two Windward defenders before she was taken down on a hard foul.

Defender Grace Weil stepped up for the free kick and placed a beautiful left-footed bender into the high right corner of the goal past the Windward goalkeeper. The 25-foot set piece was the second goal of the season for Weil and with it the match.

Bartlett: "We had a breakaway and they brought us down. We can punish those mistakes with our set pieces. They make a foul that gives us a really good opportunity to get a shot on goal. She hit it perfectly. A great strike from her."

"We're definitely dangerous from free kicks. Hopefully they'll stop bringing us down and giving us free kicks, and we'll get in a score from open play. We'll see what happens. It's nice to have both situations like that, players who can put the ball into the net from distance."

The girls opened the 2019-20 season will a 2-1 loss at Palos Verdes High, a 1-0 win over South Torrance High and a 1-1 draw with Peninsula High. The Centaurs then went on a five game winning streak. They began by hosting and overwhelming St. Bernard High, 9-0. Five players found the back of the net led by junior Emily De Los Santos who scored four goals.

Agapitos got the brace with two goals while senior Charlie Kayem, senior Sierra Chabola and sophomore Tia Lucas sscored one goal each. Senior Brooklyn Hamilton, sophomore Grace Weil, Kayem, Lucas, Agapitos and Chabola each also had an assist. Senior Cara Conroy and Grace Dedeaux split the goalkeeping duties and clean sheet with 40 minutes each.

The Centaurs then won a double header shutout in the middle of December. The beat Wiseburn- Da Vinci High, 4-0, before subduing Torrance High, 3-0, three hours later. Kayem, Agapitos and De Los Santos each scored a goal in the opener. Senior Jordan Weiss added a penalty kick goal to cap the scoring. Chabola, Weil and Agapitos had an assist each.

In the later contest, Agapitos got her second brace with two goals while Chabola added a goal. Junior Jasmine Andrade had an assist as did Weiss and Weil. Again, Conroy and Grace split the 70-minute match in the nets. Two days later they got their fourth clean sheet in a row, shutting out West Torrance High, 1-0. Three days later they got revenge on Palos Verdes, 2-1.

Last week the Culver girls win streak came to an end as they were on the losing end of a double header. They lost 3-2 to Redondo Union before getting held scoreless for the first time all season. This time South Torrance High turned the tables against the Centaurs, winning by the same 1-0 score they lost by earlier in the season.

After opening the Ocean League at Santa Monica the team hosts Lawndale High this Friday, January 10. Next on the schedule is a match at El Segundo High on Wednesday, January 15, one of two teams the Centaurs lost to in league last season. They host Hawthorne High, Friday, January 17. Beverly Hills visits on Wednesday, January 22, before Santa Monica returns for start of the league rematches on Friday, January 24.

Culver City travels to Lawndale on Wednesday, January 29 before returning home to host El Segundo on Friday, January 31. The rematches at Hawthorne, Monday, February 3 and at Beverly Hills, Wednesday, February 5 finish off the league season before the playoffs begin.

George Laase

Charlie Kayem controls the ball.

The 2019-20 Culver City High girls soccer roster (with uniform number and position) – Seniors: (1) Cara Conroy, GK; (2) Natalie Preciado, D; (6) Charlie Kayem, F, MF; (7) Victoria Martinez (Captain), MF; (9) Alexia Mallahi, D, MF; (12) Brooklyn Hamilton, F, MF; (15) Allegra Weil (Captain), D; (17) Caley Coleman, D; (18) Jordan Weiss (Captain), D; and (27) Sierra Chabola, F, MF.

Juniors: (8) Jasmine Andrade, D, MF; (16) Emily De Los Santos, D, MF; (21) Natalia Contreras, MF; (33) Rowan Atwood, D, FB; (36) Kacey Harris, D; and Grace Dedeaux, GK. Sophomores: (10) Tia Lucas, F, MF; (22) Grace Weil, D, MF; and (53) Luna Chavez, F, MF. Freshman: (13) Lia Agapitos, MF.

The End