Tam Girls JV Soccer Squad Soars

The success of the Tam High varsity girls soccer team is no secret. The Red-tailed Hawks have the best record in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL), the league's top scorer and its strongest goalie. The top-seeded Hawks host fifth-seeded Branson Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Tam High.

But while the varsity squad's has garnered the requisite attention, it might surprise you to learn that, statistically speaking, they’re not even the best team at Tam. 

That distinction belongs to the girls junior carsity soccer team, which just completed a stellar undefeated MCAL regular season. In 14 games, the JV girls notched 13 wins and 1 tie, booking 12 shutouts along the way to winning the league.

They also lay claim to having the top scorer in all of Marin, with twice as many goals as her varsity counterpart, and a freshman goalie who held down a stifling .285 average goals allowed per game. That's 50 percent better per game than the varsity leader.

Led by coach Zack Stanton, the five sophomores and 17 freshman girls began the season with a lot of shuffling in the line-up and some pre-season jitters. As Stanton solidified his starting position players, their play stabilized and the team squeaked by with a 1-0 victory against Marin Catholic in their season opener on March 15. 

Their play improved next game against Drake, but after a season ending injury to forward Claire Shulze, and some untimely free kicks deep in their defensive third, they needed a last-minute goal from sophomore center-forward Taylor Bontz to secure a 2-2 tie. From there they found their groove, and it was a full-tilt steam roller through the rest of the schedule.

The Hawks rattled off 12 straight wins to finish the season with four-goal average margin of victory. Freshman goalie Sarah Berman was scored on in only two games all season, bolstered by a stellar defensive line rotation of Izzy Dahlke, Daniella Hunt, Amy Yoger, Annie Ganz and Emma Boyle. 

With Boyle’s strong leg and Yoger’s tenacity in the middle defense, Dahlke, Hunt and Ganz were free to push outside and roam free in attacking support. 

With play in their offensive half for most of the season, the midfield controlled the ball with the steady confidence and physical play of Amanda Barriscale, Rachel Ferroni and Malia Lam in the middle, and a strong rotation of up and coming freshman on the outside. Barriscale and Ferroni each contributed with strong goals during the season, and even more assists as they cut defenses apart with a barrage of aerial attacks over the middle.

Waiting for those balls was a steady rotation of scoring opportunists, led by Bontz with a gawdy 25 goals for the season. 

But the beauty of the JV girls' season was not in individual success, but a well-rounded team attack that saw multiple goal games from freshman Rachel Ferm and balanced scoring from a host of other front line players like Emma Boczek, Bella Levaggi and Gaby Salas. The Hawks registered an astounding 53 - 4 scoring ratio for the season.

"The girls worked extremely hard at training to be prepared and focused for each game," Stanton said. "Individually, we came into practice wanting to learn and get better, and that translated into a great team spirit and drive to succeed. The season was long... and we took each challenge as a group and proved to everyone we were the strongest team in the league."

The girls avenged their only tie with a solid 2 - 0 victory over Drake after the spring break, and standout wins of 4 - 0 and 5 - 0 against Branson and Redwood, respectively. The Hawks gave up their last goal on March 29, cruising through the final six weeks with Berman pitching nine straight shutouts, culminating with a 4 - 0 win against Terra Linda last week to cap off a perfect season.

So as you climb the bleachers at Tam High Wednesday night to support the varsity girls in their semi-final match against Branson, take a moment to applaud their junior sisters in the stands. An undefeated season is something worth honoring in any sport, at any level. These girls may not be playing tonight, but they end the season on top, looking toward to the future of women’s soccer at Tam. Congratulations JV Lady Hawks!

2011 Junior Varsity Tam Women’s Soccer Roster
Coach: Zack Stanton  Sophomores: Taylor Bontz, Izzy Dahlke, Daniella Hunt, Claire Schulze, Amy Yoger  Freshman:  Amanda Barriscale, Sarah Berman, Emily Billings, Zara Blackstone, Emma Boczek, Esme Bowden, Emma Boyle, Catie Byrne, Rachel Ferm, Rachel Ferroni, Annie Ganz, Kat Hanzen, Malia Lam, Bella Levaggi, Lyndsey Romjue, Gaby Salas, Ceren Turgut