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South Tahoe girls soccer pitches fifth straight shutout, downs Lowry 6-0

Anthony Gentile | agentile@tahoedailytribune.com
South Tahoe sophomore Lillie McGuire battles for possession against Lowry’s Rachel Garrison during a league match Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Viking Stadium.
Anthony Gentile / Tahoe Daily Tribune |

The South Tahoe girls soccer team comfortably extended its shutout streak with a complete performance Wednesday, Oct. 5. The Vikings blanked Lowry 6-0 at Viking Stadium in a 3A Northern League match, recording a fifth straight clean sheet while controlling play from start to finish.

“We settled into it and started playing clean soccer, soccer that should be played — passing the ball, opening up the field, getting wide and switching the field,” said Vikings senior goalkeeper Claudia Janese.

“It’s awesome.”



South Tahoe (7-4, 7-2 3A Northern) hasn’t allowed a goal since the second half of a 2-1 defeat at Truckee at Sept. 24. The Vikings have kept their opponents out of the net for five consecutive matches, and continued a stretch of dominant play against Lowry (3-5-2, 3-5-1).

“We’re making a statement.”Annie BrejcVikings senior

“We’re making a statement,” Vikings junior Annie Brejc said. “We’re showing teams that we’re still here and they’re going to have to get through us for the state title.”



The Vikings put three goals in the back of the net before and after halftime against the Buckaroos, and controlled play in both halves. Junior Lulu Gutierrez opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a beautifully constructed goal that set the tone for the victory.

The sequence that led to the first goal of the match began with Brejc sending a low cross into the Lowry box. Sophomore Lillie McGuire corralled the cross and coolly slid a pass back to an open Gutierrez, who scored from 12 yards out to make it 1-0.

South Tahoe extended its lead to 2-0 in the 31st minute, when sophomore Riley Turner converted a penalty kick for her second goal of the season. A minute later, Brejc recovered a loose ball in the box and delivered a left-footed strike that put the Vikings ahead by three.

“The first half was clinical passing,” Vikings coach Mark Salmon said. “It’s really hard for any team to keep up if you don’t lose possession and play one-touch soccer — you spread teams out, there’s tons of space and the movement was varied enough to throw them off balance.”

Brejc scored her second of the match after halftime, finishing a penalty kick in the 51st minute to make it 4-0. Senior Emma Dayberry and junior Bailey Segers added goals later on in the second half to punctuate the Vikings’ six-goal victory.

“Keeping our composure throughout the game and really connecting as a team made us successful today,” Dayberry said. “We put a lot heart into it, each player gave it their all and there was a lot of hustle from everyone.”

After kicking off the second round of league play with a victory, the Vikings return to action Saturday, Oct. 8, at Sparks. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

“We started off our season a little on edge, but I think now we’re coming out, playing as a team and playing how we know how to play,” Brejc said. “Our team is keeping it going, and we’re ready to make our way to regionals and state.”


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