Dominguez, Schaefer lead Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer to rout
LA CAÑADA – If given the opportunity, Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer coach Esteban Chavez will speak about the deficiencies regarding his team and the many pitfalls that lay ahead throughout the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
While such issues certainly exist, almost nothing has shaken the Rebels in Prep League play the last two seasons as was evident again Thursday afternoon.
Flintridge Prep blitzed visiting Chadwick, 9-0, for its eight straight league victory, while improving the record of the defending league champion to 12-4-2 and 3-0 in league.
In the last season-plus, CIF Southern Section Division III No. 2-ranked Flintridge Prep is 11-1-1 against league foes while dominating the goal differential, 72-6.
“We do have deficiencies, but I’m not going to say them [on the record],” Chavez said. “No matter if we’re winning 5-0 or whatever, I still see the weaknesses there and we have to fix them. The score is fine, but I’m focused on getting this team to play better.”
Flintridge Prep’s dominance was in full display as the Rebels scored six goals within the match’s first 16 minutes in a contest that resembled a video game.
A team that already boasted the last two All-Area Girls’ Soccer Players of the Year in Julia Gonzalez and Helen Schaefer, received a boost from a freshman.
Midfielder Makenna Dominguez finished with four goals and one assist, while Schaefer led the way with four goals and two assists. Gonzalez also tallied one goal and two assists and junior halfback Mikaela Celeste chipped in two assists.
It took only five minutes for Dominguez to secure a hat trick.
The halfback scored off an assist from Schaefer at the 11-minute mark to put Flintridge Prep up, 4-0. Dominguez added another score on a Gonzalez assist 14 minutes in while being taken down in the box two minutes later.
Dominguez hesitated to attempt a penalty shot before ultimately rifling a bullet for a score in the 16th minute that gave Flintridge Prep a stunning 6-0 advantage.
“Originally, I really didn’t want to take it and then I was like, ‘I might as well try it,’” Dominguez said. “After all, we were up already like 5-0 or 6-0, so it didn’t mattered if I missed or not.”
Schaefer scored two goals in each half, with a six-yard strike off a corner kick from Celeste in the fourth minute that gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Schaefer peppered a 10-yard goal off a wonderful through ball from Gonzalez to push her team’s advantage to 2-0.
Schaefer, Gonzalez and Dominguez were all subbed out at the 26-minute mark as eight of 11 starters were pulled in the first half minus two defenders and the goalie.
Gonzalez, who was assisted by Schaeffer in the 10th minute for her goal, returned to the field as well as the rest of the Rebels starters at the beginning of the second half.
From there, Dominguez tallied a goal in the 45th minute off an assist from Caitlin Fong and Schaeffer added scores in the 66th and 68th minutes off assists from Celeste and Dominguez.
“We’re all here and we all want to get better and when we’re winning, we really don’t pay much attention to the score,” Schaefer said. “We just want to get better ... as quickly as we can before the playoffs.”
