Credo Girls Soccer team shines in the Upper Lake Tournament

The Credo Varsity Girls soccer team’s season is off to a phenomenal start. Their first game of the Upper Lake Tournament against Willits was a 3-0 shutout. Notably, breakout freshman Wendy Walter-Herr dazzled as right wing with incredible speed and tenacity. 

The following match was a nail-biting 3-2 comeback versus Tomales that had everyone on tenterhooks. In the first half, the team struggled to connect passes and find their rhythm against a team with girls twice their size and an order of magnitude more aggressive. Captain Aliana Martinez caught an elbow in the eye, one of the many injuries that night. Headway was finally made however, when Captain Delaney Lannert crossed the ball to Alisha Simmons, who skillfully dribbled past an onslaught of defenders and took a perfectly placed shot from the edge of the 18- yard box, garnering Credo its first goal of the game.

During the second half, passes started to connect, resulting in a second goal by Alisha Simmons. The score was tied 2-2 with only minutes left on the clock. Credo needed a miracle. And a miracle came in the form of star Sophomore centerback, Nora Richardson, who in a spontaneous act of brilliance, intercepted the ball and leaving her post, sprinted with her signature speed up the field, leaving a sea of baffled opponents in her wake. Her run was not stopped until the edge of the opposing team’s 18-yard box, where she was fouled so aggressively that her cleat was torn from her foot, drawing blood. This earned Credo a free kick that was taken by Delaney Lannert, who, showing incredible composure, flawlessly placed the ball in the upper right corner of the net, winning the game 3-2.

Following this brilliant streak was a tough 0-3 loss against Kelseyville, in which the girls had to adapt to playing on a pot-holed dirt field with barely discernible boundary lines in 90-degree weather. However, Credo finished off the tournament strong with a 3-0 shutout in Clearlake against Mendocino. Right-wing, Ella Larsen-Dunn, shined: defending brilliantly and being undefendable herself, she made many breakaway runs up the field. Sophomore Bianca Cruz held it down in the central midfield with incredible footwork and scored the first point of the game, closely followed by goals scored by Delaney Lannert and Alisha Simmons to cement the victory.