Girls’ soccer: Long Beach Wilson ‘catapults’ to top spot

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Couple days back, Jason Kirkwood was tickled. Thrilled. Elated. Overjoyed. OK, I’ll stop with the synonyms.

Better yet, Kirkwood was just proud when he checked the Southern Section coaches’ rankings. His Long Beach Wilson girls’ soccer team climbed into the No. 1 spot in Division I -- a first-ever achievement for the team. ‘Of course,’ Kirkwood said, ‘I was excited. We’ve catapulted to the top.’

Well, teams tend to catapult when they have a constellation of stars. Wilson (19-1-3, 8-0) has five players with Division-I soccer scholarships: Sam Baker (Georgetown), Larrisa Heck (Pepperdine), Jasmine Mendiola (Oral Roberts), Samantha Prochnow (San Luis Obispo) and Danielle Russell (San Diego). ‘The seniors have been through the bumps and trials,’ Kirkwood said. ‘The leadership of the team is excellent.’

And the leadership could lead the Bruins to another first-ever achievement -- a section championship.

-- Anthony Stitt