KNIGHTS ARE GOLDEN AGAIN ST. FRANCIS BACK AMONG THE ELITE.Byline: HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writer LA CANADA Canada (kăn`ədə), independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of FLINTRIDGE - When the St. Francis High of La Canada Flintridge boys' soccer team won just eight of its 25 games last season, coach Glen Appels cautioned that his team lacked only a single ingredient needed to return to its usual rank of title contender: A little experience. A year after starting a lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. loaded with sophomores, St. Francis is Francis I, king of France Francis I, 1494–1547, king of France (1515–47), known as Francis of Angoulême before he succeeded his cousin and father-in-law, King Louis XII. right back where it is used to being -- among the elite, having already doubled last season's win total and claimed two tournament championships. Nowhere has the benefit of experience been more visible than in the Golden Knights' defense, which was once the team's weak link but now ranks among the stingiest in the area. St. Francis has posted seven shutouts this season, including three in a row before Monday's 1-0 loss to Loyola of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The Golden Knights
``The defense has been one of the biggest differences this year,'' Appels said. ``We struggled defensively last year, and one of the reasons was these guys were all in their first year on varsity and our sweeper was only a sophomore. We struggled to keep up physically. ``I knew we'd be better, but I didn't know how much better. With the exception of the Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. game, we've played very good defense against some very good teams.'' Shutting down quality competition will be pivotal in St.Francis' quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the its fourth Southern Section title. The Golden Knights (16-3) moved up to Div. I this season. Those at the core of the backfield are junior sweeper Sean McGuinness, junior stopper Patrick McCoy and senior outside backs Danny Buckley and Jordan Pink. Junior Andres Perez has stepped in recently while Pink has been out with an ankle injury. ``We're playing a lot better together,'' McGuinness said. ``We can read each other now. The experience is big, that hurt us a lot last year.'' McCoy is the lone varsity newcomer in the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes . He is described by Appels as ``the real surprise of our team.'' McGuinness doesn't get much time to work on his craft, with the few months during the high school soccer season being the only time he takes a break from football and baseball. The limited preparation is hard to detect. Appels argues that soccer is McGuinness' best sport. ``Sean is one of the best sweepers I've seen,'' Buckley said. Buckley serves as team captain, filling a leadership role that comes naturally for the student body president. ``I know I'm not the most talented person out there,'' Buckley said. ``But I can make sure we're working together and doing what we need to.'' The defenders are often overshadowed on a team that has scored 51 goals in 19 games, but players say the team's offensive prowess PROWESS Infectious disease A clinical trial–Recombinant Human Activated Protein C [Zovant™] Worldwide Evaluation in Severe Sepsis is what keeps them striving to excel. ``Our offense has been doing a great job,'' Buckley said. ``We don't want to waste that. The only way we can support them is by marking our man and playing good defense. We don't want to let them down. ``Even though it's basically all the same players, we're doing a lot better than last year and everyone's doing their part.'' heather.gripp@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) St. Francis team captain Dan Buckley Dan Buckley is the publisher of Marvel Comics and the chief operating officer of Marvel Entertainment's publishing division. External links
(2) Though soccer isn't his first sport, Sean McGuinness has excelled as a sweeper for St. Francis. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: BOYS' SOCCER TOP 10 |
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