Marin County Athletic League 2022 Girls Preview

The Marin County Athletic League is one of the most competitive, compelling leagues in Northern California. Last year the top three teams were separated by three points, while the fifth place team missed out on the league playoffs due to a tiebreaker. The schools in the league continuously send girls to Division I schools.   Redwood, Branson and Tamalpais, the teams that will most likely be the top challengers for the league crowns had great seasons last year with Branson winning the North Coast Section Division III title, Redwood reached the DII final while Tam went to the DI playoffs as a high seed.   Marin Catholic, Archie Williams and Terra Linda had very good seasons as well that resulted in playoff appearances while San Marin, San Rafael and Novato will look to push for the top four.   Archie Williams   Archie is looking to improve on an 11-win season that saw it reach the DIII semifinals. They have a strong junior class returning, setting them up to be very good for the foreseeable future. They are led by two key seniors in Zola Thurston, who is committed to UC Santa Cruz and Beth Brisson, who is committed to Pacific University of Oregon.   Branson   Branson, the defending league champions, should be a force this season. The program is only one of five that has qualified for the NorCal State playoffs every year since its inception, one of two schools to appear in three NorCal Finals and one of four to win two NorCal titles.   The Bulls have the tradition and have three returning All-MCAL players, starting with keeper Patricia DePalma, who is committed to Pomona-Pitzer. She is a very technical goalkeeper that is quick off her line, good in the air, clean on the ball with the ability to distribute over a variety of distances, and the willingness to put her body in harms way to get the job done.   Two of those first-teamers were freshman a year ago in [player_tooltip player_id='54238' first='Ally' last='Hsieh'] and [player_tooltip player_id='54231' first='Riley' last='Pearson']. Hsieh is a pure finisher, with pace and technical ability to beat people off the dribble, to deliver the final pass and to finish a high percentage of her chances. Pearson is a player who's work-rate is top class, and her tenacious play on both sides of the ball were a catalyst for the Bulls last season. Her knack for knowing when and where to arrive in the box, combined with her ability to consistently come up big in the vital moments saw her lead the MCAL in game-winning goals last year with five.   "With just one senior in the starting lineup, the squad is young, and will look to build off the experience gained last season," Branson coach Tyler Gottschalk said. "We need to quickly assimilate a new crop of freshman into the fold, and once again be in a position to challenge for honors at the business end of the season."   Branson will rely heavily on two other underclassman as well. Junior Caitlin Capitolo will play as a central defender and looks to become the leader in place of the graduated Lena Sugrue. She shows great ability to read the game, keep the back line organized, and distribute out of the back.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='54278' first='Whitney' last='Collet'] will play centrally, either defensively or in the middle of the pitch and she has an incredible engine and desire to get on the ball. Her ball-winning, passion, and ability to distribute, or be a threat to score, from deeper positions make her dangerous any time she is on the ball.   Marin Catholic   Marin Catholic went 3-0-1 last year to end the MCAL season and get into the top four, reaching the league playoffs. It returns a top, top sophomore player in [player_tooltip player_id='54217' first='Sloane' last='Carey'] who was honorable mention all-league as a sophomore. She is an excellent forward who has been invited to Youth ID Camps in the past and will make a big impact this season.   Novato   Mia Sandoval scored 12 goals as a freshman for Novato as she looks to help the Hornets move up the MCAL standings. Abigail Yates had seven goals and three assists as a junior a season ago.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/11/Maya-Greenholz-crop-1978x1299-1668459578.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63565"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Redwood High</figcaption></figure>   Redwood   Redwood had a great season a year ago, reaching the section final, making the NorCal playoffs and return some very good players.   They return a senior keeper in [player_tooltip player_id='20039' first='Paige' last='Barta'], who is a great athlete as shown by her rugby commitment to West Point. She has good size, is a good shot-stopper and is a good communicator.   In front of her in the back line will be Katie Noguiero, a senior committed to Bates College. She is athletic, good on the ball and recovers very quickly. Maddie Buck, another senior, is also a great athlete, who is a good 1v1 defender and a very, very tough player.   Junior Colette Boyden will anchor the midfield. She is very good on the ball, is super fit and can run for days and is a great competitor. Up top you will see a crafty lefty junior in Dakota Ledesma who is very good 1v1 and good at getting dangerous balls into the box. [player_tooltip player_id='56924' first='Maya' last='Greenholz'] is committed to Colgate, is also a great 1v1 player, a great athlete and dangerous in open spaces. Charlotte Lacy, a sophomore transfer from Marin Catholic will be eligible in January and will provide great depth.   "While we lost many good players last season, we return a good core that should allow us to compete well in MCAL," Redwood coach Ivan Bandov said. "We'll have a solid defense and goalkeeper. We will have a solid front line with good experience and should be able to create chances to score goals."   San Marin   Like Novato, San Marin will be looking to turn things around and climb up the MCAL table. They should get senior Mia Netz, a striker who plays for Marin FC's 05 team, back after she missed last year with a knee injury.   San Rafael   If you're looking for a darkhorse, or a team that could be the most improved in the MCAL, look no further than the San Rafael Bulldogs. They return two players that were second-team All-MCAL and a key sophomore who will be a lynchpin in the midfield.   "We are excited about this season's team as we have a core group of returners and a ton of players moving up within the program," San Rafael coach Nichole Caiocca said. "Collectively this is one of the more veteran teams that we have had and we have some great leaders on the team. It is a great group of girls."   Lila Nitta and Clea Jimenez Donovan are the returning second-team all-league players. Nitta will play all over the place and as a senior captain, is an amazing leader. She is very athletic, very coachable, fit and versatile. She is also very smart defensively and loves to get up the field.   Jimenez Donovan plays anywhere centrally as she can play the attacking mid, the center mid or the defensive mid. She is a junior and a returning captain. She displays a great work rate, she is physical and can really strike the ball. In addition, she is technically gifted.   Arlin Guzman plays central defender, but can also play the No. 6, 8 or 10. Just a sophomore, she has great vision and awareness. She distributes the ball really well and is very technically sound. Her ceiling is very high.   Noelia Gramajo is another midfielder that will be heavily relied upon.   Tamalpais   Tam loses a lot from last year's team, including the incomparable Yuna McCormick who graduated early and is already enrolled at the University of Virginia. They lost two other key seniors in Sydney Boyd (UC Santa Cruz) and Ari Greenberg. Even despite that, expect the Hawks to be in the thick of the race for the league title.   They will be a young team, with 15 of the 21 being underclassmen, including seven sophomore and two freshman.   The first ever MCAL team to be in NCS' Division I, they are back in Division II and should be a force come playoff time. Of the 21 girls, 11 play ECNL and the other 10 play Premier. The club pedigree is strong.   "Tam Girls Varsity Soccer has a squad of fearless players," Tam coach Dave Presher said. "Fun, friends, and trophies are the goal.  We believe in the strength of numbers and feel confident about this season. The players' hearts are in the right place, making every moment feel special."   Tam will rely heavily on captain [player_tooltip player_id='37580' first='Stella' last='Espinasse'] who is a Middlebury commit. She is strong in the midfield, usually featuring at the No. 6 spot. Senior Hana Fields is a forward that is incredibly fast and incredibly athletic.   In the midfield is junior [player_tooltip player_id='51787' first='Maren' last='Jones'] who was second-team All-MCAL last year, plays ECNL and is a No. 10. Fellow junior Gabby Hoebrichts is a center back and was a second-team all-league player as a sophomore.   [player_tooltip player_id='54235' first='Olivia' last='Holt'] was a key freshman last year. She is a forward who is a standout for Bay Area Surf and plays on the U17 PDP squad. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='54228' first='Marissa' last='Scanlan'], Addie Covey and [player_tooltip player_id='54227' first='Sabine' last='Szylko'] will also be key players. Scanlan is a central midfielder, Covey is a forward and plays for the U17 PDP team and Szylko can play up top or in the back, and is one of the fastest track sprinters in California.   Terra Linda   Terra Linda, after a very good nine-win season and a sixth place league finish, returns 13 players which includes six starters.   "We are looking forward to a competitive season," Terra Linda coach Dylan Arroyo said. "We are hoping we can build off of last season's NCS quarterfinal appearance and make the MCAL playoffs as well as NCS."   Leading the way will be seniors Molly Young, Svea Munson and Ava Jorgensen. Young is a midfielder, Munson a defender and Jorgensen a forward. Jorgensen is recovering from an ACL injury, but should be available in December or January.   From the junior class, defenders Susannah Reibel and Ahlinn Burke will be key pieces of the puzzle, while Sonia McKenzie is a junior forward who will be heavily relied upon. Josie Quinby, Rashelle Diaz and Katherine King are sophomores that will be integral to the team. Quinby is a defender and midfielder, Diaz is a midfielder and forward and King is a defender.

The Marin County Athletic League is one of the most competitive, compelling leagues in Northern California. Last year the top three teams were separated by three points, while the fifth place team missed out on the league playoffs due to a tiebreaker. The schools in the league continuously send girls to Division I schools.