Pali High Boys Soccer Kicks to Top of Western League

At halftime last Friday against University, Palisades High boys soccer coach Dave Suarez told his team the game was there for the taking.

Then the Dolphins went out and took it, breaking a scoreless deadlock with three goals in the last 40 minutes at Daniel Webster Middle School to move into sole possession of first place in the Western League standings.

“That’s the best half we’ve played since the second half of the Huntington Park game in the playoffs last year,” Pali High Coach Dave Suarez said. “It was a big win but we still have LACES left, Fairfax is always tough at their place and we also have Hamilton on their home field. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

The first half was fairly even, but Palisades (5-1 overall, 5-1 in league) had three free kicks deep in the Wildcats’ end in the last five minutes but couldn’t convert. Barron Chavez went down with an injury less than 10 minutes into the game and didn’t return but the Dolphins’ perseverance paid off.

Seven minutes into the second half Dash Dennerline scored off a throw-in and just like Palisades had a 1-0 lead.

“We’re really playing as a team right now,” Dennerline said. “We had to get adjust to the speed in the first half. Bill [Batbayar] touched it and I volleyed it inside the box.”

In the 55th minute Joob Sanchez was tripped in the penalty area box and Chad Johnson converted the penalty kick to put the Dolphins up 2-0.

“I told my team I was going to take it,” Johnson said after drilling the ball into the lower left corner. “I try to make the goalie make a move first. We wanted it more than them and we worked harder than them.”

Co-captain David Grinsfelder added the exclamation point in the 77th minute, pushing up from the back line to find the lower left corner to cap the scoring.

Two days earlier the Dolphins hosted Westchester at Stadium by the Sea and came away with a 7-1 victory.

Josue Hernandez scored off a feed from Sanchez less than eight minutes into the game and Sanchez used nifty dribbling in close to  make it 2-0 in the 11th minute.

Dennerline scored on a header off a cross from co-captain Kavi Kashani in the 27th minute.

Spencer Tidball scored in the 33rd minute and converted a penalty kick just before halftime to make it 5-1. Chavez deked the goalie and fired into the empty net to make it 6-1 in the 44th minute and Victor Morales scored on a rebound in the 54th minute.

“We’re really playing well as a team right now,” Dennerline said. “Every game is important, so we have to stay mentally prepared for each one.”

GIRLS SOCCER

Palisades stayed atop the Western League last week after victories over Westchester and University. Erin Ross, Kaitlyn Parcell, Ashley Conte and Hannah De Silva scored in a 4-0 win at Westchester last Wednesday.

De Silva scored twice and Parcell and Kiana Ferguson each added one goal in a 4-1 win Friday night against University at Stadium by the Sea.

“We had trouble finishing but other than that we played really well,” Palisades Coach Christian Chambers said after the University game. “Our possession time was great and the score could’ve been more like 10 or 11 to one, but I like that we’re creating a lot of quality chances.”

The Dolphins (6-1, 5-0) hosted LACES yesterday.