SOCCER BEAT BOYS SHINING THROUGH DARK DAYS.Byline: Lauren Gustus, Matthew Kredell Crespi of Encino has had some good boys' soccer teams over the past decade, but its best individual performance is happening during one of its most disappointing seasons. Harry Abraham has 24 goals in 23 games. He broke the school record of 21 with two goals Wednesday in a 6-0 victory over Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Last season, Abraham had nine goals as Crespi advanced to the Southern Section quarterfinals. But 12 seniors graduated from that team, leaving a lot on Abraham's shoulders. He has more than half the team's goals. ``I've kind of broken out of my shell this year,'' Abraham said. ``In the past, I felt more held back and overlooked. I didn't feel as relied on. My confidence jumped a lot this year.'' Abraham leads the tough Mission League in goals scored, and also set school marks in career goals scored and goals scored in league play. The dominant victory over rival Notre Dame showed Crespi's late-season improvement. The Celts The following pages provide lists of nations or people of Celtic origin, arranged by branch of Celtic ethnicity or language grouping: Goidelic Celts
WHO'S HOT --Israel Higuera, Westlake: He has scored six goals in the past three games, including the only goal in a 1-1 tie with third-place Calabasas and a hat trick hat trick n. Sports 1. Three goals scored by one player in one game, as in ice hockey. 2. Three wickets taken in cricket by a bowler in three consecutive balls. 3. against Moorpark. After a slow start to the season, Higuera is driving the offense as Westlake (13-7-2, 8-3-1) is in good position for at least a wild card into the playoffs. He has six of the team's past eight goals. --Jose Esquivel, Hart of Newhall: He didn't make the first start of his career at goalkeeper until the first league game, yet had eight shutouts in his first eight league games heading into Tuesday. Esquivel has been the surprise boost that has allowed Hart of Newhall not only to coast through the Foothill League but talk about making it through without giving up a goal. --Ell Shaddai Bent, Quartz Hill: A fulltime move to forward has precipitated a return of offensive aggression from Bent, who scored five of his seven goals in the past two games heading into Tuesday. Bent had the area's best individual scoring performance with four goals against defending Golden League champion Highland of Palmdale. LEAGUE UPDATES --Foothill: Hart of Newhall already clinched the league title and is trying to make it through league play without allowing a goal. Two games against Saugus and Valencia remain. Canyon is battling for second place, and Saugus and Burroughs of Burbank are fighting for third. --Golden: Palmdale lost its first league game in a stunning upset by Littlerock, but bounced back to beat defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Highland of Palmdale the following game. That sets up a showdown Friday between Palmdale and Quartz Hill, with at least a share of the league title on the line for Quartz Hill if both teams won Tuesday. Highland has fallen to third. --Marmonte: Royal of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. played Monday for supremacy not only in the league but the area. The teams tied for the second time this season, which didn't settle anything but did solidify so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. Royal's hold on first place. Royal (19-1-4, 9-0-3) maintains its one-game lead with two games remaining, including a rain makeup either Thursday or Friday against Westlake. Thousand Oaks has a game left Wednesday against Agoura. Calabasas is in third after losing 1-0 to Royal. --Mission: With first place on the line, St. Francis of La Canada and 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. went to overtime last week. Unfortunately, St. Francis standout goalkeeper Tashi Nakanishi didn't finish. Nakanishi got a red card in the second half, and Loyola scored three quick goals in the first seven minutes of overtime to make the victory look easy. With the win, Loyola (22-3-3, 9-1-1) is tied with St. Francis (21-5-1, 9-1-1) for the league lead with one game remaining. --Sunset Six: Canoga Park (13-1-1, 7-0-1) capped its worst-to-first run with a victory over five-time defending champion Grant of Van Nuys. It was the first time Canoga Park defeated Grant in coach Jake Gwin's four years. Jorge Paez, a transfer from Cleveland of Reseda who has given Canoga Park a big lift this season, scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Grant last Wednesday. --Valley Mission: Sylmar clinched the league title with a 5-0 victory over rival San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. on Monday, coupled with a tie by Reseda. That took the intrigue Intrigue See also Conspiracy. Borgias 15th-century family who stopped at nothing to gain power. [Ital. Hist.: Plumb, 59] Ems dispatch Bismarck’s purposely provocative memo on Spanish succession; sparked Franco-Prussian war (1870). out of the Sylmar-Reseda matchup Thursday in the final game of the regular season. --West Valley: Birmingham (12-2-2, 5-1-3) of Lake Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). broke out of a tie for first by beating Cleveland of Reseda 2-1 Monday. Birmingham is winning without the one key offensive player that most teams have, instead using teamwork and the goalkeeping of Victor Astrada (eight shutouts). Red-hot El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
To report scores and information, e-mail Staff Writer Matthew Kredell at matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com GIRLS STRAIGHT TO THE TOP Emily Niven will be going to a top-tier NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school despite not being in a highly successful program at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Fellow Mission League players Jamie Artsis (Michigan) and Jen Sayles (UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ) of Harvard-Westlake of Studio City and Megan Merritt (Harvard) of Louisville of Woodland Hills received scholarships to major women's college teams, coming from successful high school programs. Niven will go to the University of Denver Background and rankings The University was founded in 1864 as Colorado Seminary by John Evans, the former Territorial Governor of Colorado, who had been appointed by US President Abraham Lincoln. , which has advanced to the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
Notre Dame tied Flintridge Sacred Heart The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity This devotion is predominantly used in the Roman Catholic Church and also used in the Anglican Church. of La Canada for the league's third and last playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. spot last season but lost the tiebreaker tie·break·er n. An additional contest or period of play designed to establish a winner among tied contestants. Also called tiebreak. tie . This year, they'll likely finish fifth of six teams. ``If we would've beat Chaminade on Friday, we probably would've gone,'' Niven said. ``We had the exact same standings.'' Nevin, a sweeper, hadn't lost hope as of this weekend, but after a 1-1 tie with Flintridge Sacred Heart, in which she scored the Knights' goal, her postseason dreams were done. But the opportunity to play for another four years is a consolation. ``I'm so excited,'' she said. ``I don't think I've really ever been burned out from soccer. The more I get to play the happier I am.'' Niven was spotted by Denver coaches at the Surf Cup, a popular summer club tournament in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . Initially, she thought she'd stay in California but after a visit to Denver, she was sold. ``The second I saw it I fell in love,'' Niven said. ``The campus is beautiful. The coaches treated me well. There were really warm people there.'' Niven said she knows she'll have a lot of work ahead of her as a freshman but has hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament. ``It's a very competitive program,'' Niven said. ``They made it last year, they lost to Santa Clara Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. .'' WHO'S HOT --Debbie Morgan, Louisville of Woodland Hills: The senior goalkeeper has a school-record nine shutouts this year. She allowed one goal in a pressure-filled Mission League loss to first-place Harvard-Westlake of Studio City on Friday. The Royals (11-7-5) will need a big game from Morgan today at Chaminade in their season finale. The outcome will affect the teams' playoff positions. --Jessica Gordon, Village Christian of Sun Valley: The sophomore striker has 29 goals this season. The Crusaders (13-3-2, 4-0-2) likely will make the playoffs, allowing her a shot at her school-record 37-goal season last year. Her most recent goal helped salvage a 2-2 draw with Campbell Hall Campbell Hall can refer to:
``She makes the other players look better,'' coach Edwin Salazar said. LEAGUE UPDATES --Alpha: Village Christian of Sun Valley appears to have the league title locked up with one game remaining. The Crusaders have scored 32 goals in their past eight games. Goalkeeper Emily Clark Emily Clark was an English novelist of the 18th century. She believed herself to be the great-granddaughter of Theodore Stephen, Baron von Neuhof, though may well have been mistaken. has seven shutouts. --Golden: Quartz Hill likely will keep tabs on Palmdale's Stacie Pearson on Thursday night. Palmdale's high-scoring freshman had two goals in a 3-1 victory over Quartz Hill, the Rebels' only league loss. Palmdale might need another win over Quartz Hill to make the playoffs. --Mission: With Harvard-Westlake of Studio City in first, the real intrigue is for the league's second and third playoff spots. Louisville of Woodland Hills, Chaminade of West Hills and Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada are competing for two playoff berths with one league game remaining. Louisville finishes at Chaminade and Harvard-Westlake is at Sacred Heart. Both games are at 5 p.m. today. --Olympic: Kristy Krohn and Breanna Thornton of L.A. Baptist each scored two goals in a 4-0 victory over Crossroads of Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. to give the Kinghts (18-1-1) the league title. --Valley Mission: Granada Hills won't get a share of the league title despite upsetting three-time defending champ El Camino of Woodland Hills 1-0 Monday. A tie against Taft of Woodland Hills will keep Granada Hills in second place. But it won't hurt Granada Hills' confidence heading into the postseason. --West Valley: Theresa Venegas headed in her second consecutive corner kick as Van Nuys defeated Kennedy of Granada Hills for the first time in school history. The teams are 7-1-1 in league with two games remaining. To report scores and information, e-mail Staff Writer Lauren Gustus at lauren.gustus(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1) Crespi of Encino's Harry Abraham has had a record-breaking season with 24 goals in 23 games. The Celts can finish tied for third in the Mission League if they beat Chaminade today. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer (2) Despite not having played in the playoffs, Emily Niven of Notre Dame is on her way to Div. I University of Denver. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) DAILY NEWS TOP 10 (2) SEVEN-DAY FORECAST |
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