News From Prep

Flintridge Prep Girls’ Soccer Breaks Records at Ontario Christian Christmas Classic

You might call the outcome of the Ontario Christmas Classic for Flintridge Prep’s Girls’ Soccer team expected, since they are the defending champions of the tournament. But this is a new year, with new players, so nothing is given. The Rebels came out strong in the tournament, shutting out their first two opponents, Don Lugo and Valley Christian, before beating Palm Springs 2-1 to advance to the finals against mini-rival Alta Loma.

 
Team captains Arielle Baptiste, Kate Lyon, and Connell Studenmund (with Casey Cousineau, third from left) are still smiling after 100 minutes of aggressive soccer.  

In round 1 of the tournament, Flintridge Prep (ranked 9th in the CIF Division III) defeated Don Lugo (ranked 9th in CIF Division IV) with penalty kicks for the Rebels' 2nd consecutive victory over a CIF ranked team. Prep goalie Casey Cousineau ’13 made 4 saves, including a spectacular save on a penalty kick to give Prep the victory.

Prep faced Valley Christian in round 2, winning 1-0 with a goal in the 51st minute by Arielle Baptiste ’12 (assisted by Kate Kennedy ’14). Prep had an astounding 18 shots on goal, and Valley Christian had just 4. Casey Cousineau recorded her 4th shutout of the season. She has allowed only 2 goals in 6 games.

The Rebels, the defending Ontario Christian tournament champions, advanced to the tournament semifinal against Palm Springs High School. In that game, Arielle Baptiste scored 2 goals within 5 minutes of each other (assisted by Connell Studenmund ’12 and Samantha Davies ’13, respectively). Prep’s defense hung tight, and the Rebels advanced into the final. Palm Springs (2,100 students) was ranked 5th in CIF Division V. With only 400 students in the high school, a Prep victory demonstrates that David can still beat Goliath every now and again.

 
All Tournament players Casey Cousineau and Arielle Baptiste flank coach Estaban Chavez. 

In the final, the girls faced Alta Loma, a Division II powerhouse whose only loss so far this season was to the #1 ranked Claremont. Alta Loma was also the team Prep faced in the finals of this tournament in 2011, so everyone expected a tough battle. And Alta Loma didn’t disappoint, giving Prep a game for the record books.

From the first minute to the last, the Rebels hustled and headed and kicked as they've never done before, somehow making a 100-minute, scoreless game one of the most exciting sporting events spectators have seen in a long time. In the end, the Rebels fell to Alta Loma 4-2 in penalty kicks. Kate Lyon ’12 and Abby Letts ’13 scored the two goals in this game.

The key to this game was grit. With their tenacious offense and tireless defense, the girls’ fighting spirit and overall record are to be envied. In the preseason, Prep has defeated 4 CIF-ranked teams in its 6 victories. For their consistent play through the tournament, Casey Cousineau ’13 and Arielle Baptiste ’12 were named to the all-tournament team.

When the team received their second-place trophy, the tournament director remarked that the Rebels had an outstanding performance for second place.
The ladies start their Prep League season with two away games this week; the first game is against Chadwick on Wednesday. On Friday, the girls face Westridge.

Thanks to Woody and Jaynie Studenmund for contributing to this story.
Here’s a great story from Glendale News Press about the final game of this fantastic pre-season tournament.

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/sports/tn-gnp-sp-fpsoccer-20111230,0,4210345.story