Girls’ Soccer Preview: Burroughs, Burbank looking to dethrone Arcadia
Burbank High girls’ soccer Coach Erik Montoya and his counterpart at Burroughs, Brady Riggs, are in complete agreement on one subject.
Both coaches believe the road to a Pacific League title has to go through Arcadia.
The Apaches have been dominant in recent years, having won five straight Pacific League championships. During that span, Arcadia has lost just three times in league, compiling a 64-3-3 record. The team’s lone league loss last season was a 2-1 setback to Crescenta Valley.
“It’s Arcadia’s world,” Riggs said. “Until someone knocks them off, they have to be considered the top dog in our league.
“They always have a great team, they are very well-coached and they are always deep with a lot of talent. They are hard to deal with.”
Said Montoya: “We know Arcadia is always going to be tough. We just hope we’ll be able to have enough to beat them.”
While Burbank returns a large group from last season, including Burbank Leader Girls’ Athlete of the Year Kira Bochard, Burroughs lost a host of impact players to graduation.
Over at Providence, the Pioneers will be a fresh-faced team with a first-season coach.
Here is a closer look at the teams.
BURBANK
The Bulldogs (11-5-3, 9-4-1 in league last season) tied for third in league last season with rival Burroughs. Burbank won its CIF Southern Section Division IV playoff game against Culver City, 1-0, before falling in the second round to Mayfair, 3-1.
“The girls have been working hard and they really want to see what they can do this season,” Montoya said. “We have 12 seniors this season, so we do have the experience and we have a lot of girls who have been in the program three or more years.
“We have girls who play on high-level club teams and they have been playing for quite awhile and they know what to expect. We are just hoping that we’ll be able to put it all together.”
The centerpiece of the team is Bochard, a senior forward. Last season, Bochard accounted for the lion’s share of Burbank’s offense, scoring 23 of the team’s 51 goals.
“Kira is looking great as always. Kira always works hard to be the best that she can be,” Montoya said. “She is just one of those players who lives for the game and any way she is going to make herself better or help the team, she’s going to do it.”
Burbank had two other all-league players a season ago: senior defender Cynthia De La Cruz (two goals, four assists) returns, while senior forward Dalia Farazdaghi (four goals, six assists) graduated.
Joining the list of returning players are sophomore defender Kamille Eugenio, junior midfielder Adrianne Sarukhanyan, junior midfielder Jessica Rocha, senior defender Daniela Yanez and senior defender Melanie Tirado. Coming up from the junior varsity team is sophomore forward Isabel Partida.
Montoya said another returning player, junior midfielder Ryan Verhoeven, is still recovering from a knee injury and might be lost for the season.
A transfer from Alabama who could bolster the squad is sophomore defense Maria Perez.
“We are moving people around a little in some new positions from last year,” Montoya said. “We are messing with our formation and we’ll probably play a 4-4-2 this year, with four defenders in the back.
“But it looks to be an exciting year. We just have to make sure we prepare for the Arcadias and the [Crescenta Valleys], although you can’t take any team in league lightly.”
BURROUGHS
The Indians (12-5-1, 9-4-1) are coming off a season in which they tied Burbank for third place in league. Burroughs lost in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs to La Mirada, 5-1.
“We lost some key players from last year who graduated, but that’s inevitable, that’s how it works in high school athletics, you’re going to lose players one way or the other,” said Riggs, who was last year’s league coach of the year. “What’s great is that this group that are seniors were freshmen when I first came in. It’s kind of fun to watch these girls go through the process of their high school career. They know how we want to play and what our philosophy is and what we’re trying to do, which is nice. It is a very cohesive group.”
Burroughs’ only first-team all-league returner is senior midfielder Mireya Gonzalez, who tallied seven goals and seven assists. The team’s leading scorer from a season ago, senior forward Maddy Riggs (12 goals and team-leading eight assists), a second-team all-league honoree, also returns.
Riggs, who has signed with UC Irvine to play golf, Gonzalez and junior utility Maddy Sena will serve as the team’s captains.
“I have great leadership this year and that’s going to be a plus for us,” Brady Riggs said. “Those three players are the kind that lead by example on the field. Those are players who will win balls and fight for balls. They are going to do the things to help us.”
Other players who are expected to contribute are senior midfielder Alondra Solis, sophomore striker Tatiana Mosdale and sophomore midfielder Abbie Riggs. The team’s goalkeeper spot is open, with seniors Emma Bartram and Emily Orsatt competing for the position.
“In league, outside of Arcadia, I think it will probably be us, CV and Burbank fighting for those other league [postseason] spots,” Riggs said.
PROVIDENCE
New Providence Coach Emma Johnson hasn’t had much time to work with or get to know her team, as she was hired less than two weeks ago. However, she likes what she’s seen with the squad so far.
“It’s a very young team and I think the thing I’m most excited about is that with a young team, I didn’t think I would see much focus, but from the first day of practice, they’ve been super focused and super excited,” Johnson said. “They are really willing to learn.
“We have some players who have never played on a competitive soccer team before and they are out there learning. The past week or so of practice has been just working on all the fundamentals. But it’s been fun for me, because I’m getting back to the soccer basics for the first time in a long time.”
Providence finished 8-4-1 after placing second in the Independence League last season. The Pioneers lost in a CIF Southern Section Division VII wild-card match against St. Mary’s Academy, 5-1.
Returning to give the Pioneers a boost is junior midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald. Other players who will be looked on to contribute are freshman defender Veronica Hunstable and freshman forward Carissa Guardado, who is fresh off of qualifying for the CIF Southern Section preliminaries in cross-country.
“We have six or seven freshmen, so hopefully that will be good for us in the future,” Johnson said. “But in just the short time I’ve been with them, I’ve already seen improvement and that is really encouraging.”
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports
