By GERARDO RECINOS
Martinez Tribune
There have been some changes for the varsity girls soccer team, but luckily they haven’t been on the field; they’ve been on the sidelines.
New head coach Ed Marinelli, who served as an assistant under the previous coach, takes over a group of young ladies that only has three seniors in its ranks.
Of the 19 girls that make up the varsity squad only three are seniors, but even more impressive is that of the remaining 16 players, nine of them have already had at least more than on year of varsity experience. The three freshman on the team will be heading into their first season.
“It’s a good advantage when you have continuity,” Marinelli said. “They trust each other, they know each other, they know where they’re going to be in certain situations on the field.”
Continuity is the key to the Bulldogs’ success, and for Marinelli that starts with his back line, that has been playing together for the better part of two seasons.
His center back partnership of senior Lexy Swenson and junior Adriana Saroni, both of whom are captains, have played together since Saroni stepped up to cover an injury in her freshman year.
Right back Katie Christman has also been a part of that back line since she was a freshman, so it’s no fluke that last year’s team went seven games without conceding a goal. This year, so far, they’ve only conceded once while totaling 18 goals scored.
The defensive unit will be key to the season, as a tough league schedule looms throughout December and January, but the Bulldogs have already shown some flashes of brilliance on the ball.
Cue cards from the sideline will instruct players on how to take meticulously prepared set piece routines that Marinelli’s son Matt draws up.
One of which confounded referees in a game against El Cerrito. With the wind blowing, goalkeeper Nicki Rucki shocked everyone by scoring from the opening whistle from more than midfield.
This Alhambra team will be able to flex their attacking muscle as well as defensive, and that unit will be led by senior Kayla Porche, who will be starting her fourth year of varsity soccer, and who Marinelli says has no down side to her game.
Porche and Marissa D’Atri will work down the wings while sophomore Marlo Allen will put in work up top. In the midfield, Alhambra brings back all-DFAL performers Sarah Emigh and Carly Agostino. Emigh is going on her third year of varsity soccer while Agostino starts her second after a blistering start to her Alhambra career.
With the Diablo Foothill Athletic league looming and Alhambra’s back-to-back heartbreak losses to Miramonte in the North Coast Section playoffs, Marinelli will look to help his girls get over the hump, something he has done before.
Prior to his time with Alhambra, Marinelli took a Mt. Diablo-Concord team that couldn’t even score a goal and led them to NCS in 2011, totaling 14 wins in a historic season for the program.
“Most of the girls on this year’s team have been there before, and have suffered those second round losses, so there’s a little bit of a bad taste in their mouths,” Marinelli said. “They’re putting the work in and they’re highly motivated.”
Alhambra came in fourth place in the DFAL last season after a hot start, but began sputtering in their final six games, tallying three losses and a draw in those games.
