by Anna Bernard
Kendall Martin challenges a Fortuna player inthe 6v6 tournament in Miranda on June 10th, 2007
South Fork High School’s 6v6 Soccer Tournament attracted 8 Girl’s teams and 6 Boy’s teams on Sunday, June 10th, 2007. Athletic Director Ann Constantino organized the annual fundraiser. Destiny Coach Nick Parker regards Ann Constantino as a “local Soccer Hero” because “Ann has almost single-handedly kept Girl’s soccer alive in South Fork for the past 10 years!” With limited opportunities to play college-bound soccer in Humboldt County, Ann’s contribution has been significant and well appreciated. Ann is “somewhat worried about the impact of low enrollment on the soccer program at South Fork High School.” “I’ve been able to keep soccer going as long as I had players, but with fewer students, I’m not sure if we will have enough players to continue.” But, the 6v6 South Fork Tournament was a success despite the possible lack of players in the future.
The MRYSL U16 Girls Destiny soccer players traveled south through the morning drizzle from Trinidad, McKinleyville, Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna and Ferndale. The team arrived at South Fork High School in Miranda, CA at 8:00am on Sunday, June 10th 2007 for check-in. This was a “friendly” tournament and Destiny brought several new players that were trying out for the Division 1 team. The 6 versus 6 games are played on a smaller field and are faster paced than the standard soccer game. All players are engaged, since there are only 6 players on the field, including the goalie. The Destiny checked in, warmed up and was soon ready for action.
The drizzle stopped as the first Destiny game got underway at 9:00am against the hosting South Fork High School team. In the first half of the game, forwards Tara Boynton and Hannah Garrett both scored a goal under those familiar grey skies. The South Fork team was unable to penetrate the tight Destiny midfield or defense and the half ended with a score of 2-0 for Destiny. In the second half, Tara Boynton scored the third Destiny goal and the South Fork team scored one goal for a final score of 3-1 for Destiny.
Some patches of blue sky were visible as the second Destiny game against the Fortuna High School girl’s team began. Bianca Herrera scored the first Destiny goal after a pass from Hannah Garrett. Brianna Averill scored the second Destiny goal. Annika Satter scored the third Destiny goal off a pass from Bailey Davy. Kendall Martin scored the fourth Destiny goal and Hannah Garrett scored the fifth Destiny goal. The Destiny midfield and defense played strong and the score at the end of the half was 5-0 for Destiny. In the second half, the Destiny continued to score. Bianca Herrera scored the sixth Destiny goal followed by Tara Boynton who scored the next two consecutive goals. The ninth Destiny goal was scored by Emily Monahan with a beautiful shot from the center field line. Minutes before the end of the game, the South Fork girls were able to score one goal for a final score of 9-1 for Destiny. Coach Nick Parker commented that “There is a clear difference in the caliber of soccer between the High School level of play and a Division 1 U-16 team that specializes in soccer 8 months of the year and competes against the very best teams in Northern California and Southern Oregon.” Parker continues “We are proud to offer a college prep experience to Humboldt County players.”
The Destiny enjoyed sunshine during their final game against the Clear Lake Varsity team at 3:00pm. The Clear Lake team came out strong and scored the first two goals of the game. The first Destiny goal was scored when a corner kick deflected off a Clear Lake player into their own net. Clear Lake scored their third goal 15 minutes into the game. Coach Parker commented that “Destiny got three big reminders that playing good soccer must include good defense and the ability to stop the other team from playing…thus, there are “two games out there” on any given day.” Tara Boynton scored the next two goals to even out the score at 3-3. Bailey Davy scored the forth Destiny goal putting Destiny in the lead at the end of the half and marking a turning point in the game. In the second half, Tara Boynton scored the 5th Destiny goal on a break away and finished up the scoring with the 6th Destiny goal as well. The final score was 6-4 for Destiny for the Emily Cup Tournament Championship. Coach Nick Parker stated that “in the end, the Destiny’s passing game was too much for the aggressive Clear Lake Varsity team. The Destiny players headed home under sunny skies after 3 wins, for the Championship, at South Fork High School.
Bryar Brandvold, a seventh grade student at Jacoby Creek Charter School, Bayside California recently traveled to Los Angeles, California to compete in the 2007 State Science Fair. His project, “Should Soccer Players Wear Protective Headgear?” was evaluated in the product science division where he placed fourth out of over 50 projects. He qualified for the state science fair by receiving first place honors at the Humboldt County Science Fair in March.
