By Jasmine Amaro
On Wednesday February 26, girls soccer accomplished the Division II section championship against Tulare Western on their home field with a 4-1 win. After their win, they will now be moving onto their state game on Tuesday March 3rd against Quartz Hill High school playing in Division III. This team not only got the win, but made history by being the first girls soccer team at El Diamante to win a section title championship.
In the first half of the game, it was rough while the score was tied 1-1 with Tulare Western scoring on a free kick but El Diamante did not give up. From the back line to midfielders and strikers, the Miners worked hard until the last whistle. The bleachers were packed with fans including parents, family members, staff, and students who were cheering for ELD. Despite the condition of the field, El Diamante girls did not let that ruin their game. They continued to connect their passes and did not let Western score in the second half regardless of their corner kicks and free kicks they had or going down the line with the ball, the defense stood their ground and did not let Western get past them. These girls showed up and proved that they deserved to win by putting in the hard work throughout this season from practices, eating healthy at team dinners, and being close as family.
Freshman Poppy Cheney, who is a left winger, scored a hat trick, making three goals and right back defender Lilah Martinez scoring on a free kick. Goal keeper Lilly Saare (junior) made great saves throughout the game and did her best in saving the ball and not letting Western score in the second half. Coach Spencer, who had stepped up as head coach described the winning as, “a total team effort”. Each player on and off the field had an impact on the game. The bench was hyped and cheering on the players as they did their best to finish off strong in the end.
The El Diamante girls soccer team kept fighting until the very end, through the first round and all the way up to the final game. From always being first round exits to now winning a valley championship has been a huge achievement for this team.
With projections showing them losing with only 4/12, the ELD girls soccer teamproved them wrong and brought home the win. The El Diamante girls are grateful to have amazing fans who showed up with their Miner spirit and cheered them on for their big game. Girls soccer is now ready and they are hyped to head into their state game after their valley championship win.