Chaminade Attracts a Talented Crowd

“The future looks very bright for Chaminade.”

That was Coach Mike Evans’ assessment of the Chaminade High girls’ soccer team after the Eagles reached the quarterfinals of the L.A. Watts Summer Games last weekend before being eliminated, 2-0, by Ayala on a pair of late goals at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Watts Games, in which the Eagles competed with primarily members of last year’s junior varsity team and incoming players, provided Evans with an early look at the talent he will work with this winter.

The more he saw, the more he almost hated to look.

“I’m very high on them,” said Evans, who nonetheless is not looking forward to making some tough personnel decisions. “It’s almost like the program is building itself, and that’s good.”

Chaminade won the Southern Section Division III title last season and lost only one player to graduation. As a result, competition for varsity roster spots will be fierce next season.

Younger players expected to be considered for the varsity team include freshmen Tara Donoghue and Kim Taylor, sister of returning defender Jennifer Taylor.

“[Taylor] has a better understanding of the game than any incoming freshman maybe in the whole state,” Evans said. “She’s possibly that dangerous. The most important thing is going to be how she fits in with the team.”

The biggest logjam for Evans is at forward, where Carly Stokes, Donoghue, Kim Taylor and varsity returnees Kerrie Clavadetscher, Liz Buhn and Michelle French play.

“It’s a tough situation,” Evans said. “It bothers me a little. It’s sad to think there are going to be a lot of girls on our JV team who would be starters on the varsity at a lot of other schools.”