Tartans gain upper hand against Sage

Chris Yemma

With the Academy League title dangling in front of both teams like a

carrot hanging from a string, the Sage Hill School girls soccer team

could not quite snatch the bait.

In a season just about perfect until this point, the Lightning

suffered its first loss and could not break the grasp league foe St.

Margaret’s holds over the school.

The Tartans handed host Sage a 3-0 league loss Friday, perhaps

redeeming a Jan. 14 tie with Sage, and also continuing St. Margaret’s

undefeated girls soccer streak versus the Lightning since Sage’s

inception five years ago.

The Tartans (12-2-2, 6-0-1 in league) need to win their last two

games against Brethren Christian and Capistrano Valley Christian --

two teams they defeated by a 20-0 combined score last month -- to

wrap up the league title.

Sage (16-1-1, 6-1-1) needs to defeat Capo Valley Christian and

Whitney for the second league spot, or hope St. Margaret’s loses its

remaining games for a shot at first. The latter, however, is

unlikely.

St. Margaret’s, ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division VI,

held the Lightning scoreless Friday, the first time that has occurred

all season. It also marked one of the few times freshman Kellee Kim

has been held scoreless.

Kim has 24 goals on the season, 15 more than second-leading scorer

Amy Werblin.

“We focused on Kellee Kim,” Tartans’ Coach Johnny Marmelstein

said. “She’s got all their goals and we focused on her. Every time

she touched the ball, there were two, three, four players flying at

her, and we knew that if we could stop her, we could stop Sage.”

Marmelstein’s simple, yet, effective, strategy proved fruitful in

holding the Lightning, ranked sixth in Division VI, to very little

offensive production.

St. Margaret’s managed nine shots on goal in the first half to

Sage’s one, but the Lightning came out in the second half with a

little more zeal. Sage had six shots in the second, and goalie Laura

Gordon had a couple of key saves for the Lightning.

And the Tartans’ offensive monster came out firing early. Within

the first 11 minutes, St. Margaret’s had forged a 2-0 lead that they

eventually took into halftime.

But aside from a St. Margaret’s penalty kick for another goal in

the second half, Sage managed to keep the Tartans in check.

“I’m still proud of my girls because they’ve been playing so hard

this whole season,” Sage Coach Amy Ray said. “St. Margaret’s, they’re

a great team...

“I think skill-wise, we’re a pretty equal team compared to them.”