Pali Girls Soccer Continue to Overpower League Opponents

Nobody should be surprised that the Palisades High girls soccer team is 8-0 in Western League play through last Friday. Five years ago, Paul Revere soccer coaches Jeanne Goldsmith and Nancy Babcock told the Palisadian-Post that they had an unusually talented team. Today, 10 of those players are on the PaliHi varsity.   With no outside league opposition to sharpen their skills before the City-section playoffs in mid-February, Coach Tianna Oliver was asked about her biggest challenge.   ?I know we?re the best in the league, but when it comes time for playoffs, the teams are faster and we have to be mentally prepared,? said Oliver, a former Division I player. ?I don?t let my players slack off, even if they?re ahead like they were at Westchester,? an 11-0 rout last Friday.   Oliver explained that winning is all about a team finding its rhythm, so she strives to have her girls play with the same intensity and teamwork, whether it?s an easy opponent or one that is more challenging.   The Dolphins are a strong passing team and present scoring threats from a number of players.   Against Westchester, for example, junior Katie van Daalen Wetters and senior Samantha Elander (who is being recruited by Wesleyan University) both scored three goals.   When Palisades defeated Hamilton 3-0 earlier last week, the Dolphin offense was on continual attack, as in every previous league game. Pali?s defenders played from the center of the field, with goalie Kiki Bailey rarely touching the ball.   Kathryn Gaskin, one of the team?s leading scorers, is being heavily recruited by a number of colleges and is considering Colorado, Oregon and Northeastern. ?Wherever I go, I want to play,? said Gaskin, who started as a five-year-old AYSO player.   Elander, Gaskin and Meredith Kornfeind (who has had interest from Tulane University and Wake Forest) are also members of the Westside Breaks Gold G92 team, which finished second this past fall.   The Dolphins play at L.A.C.E.S. on Friday. Their next home game is against Fairfax on February 9 at 2:30 p.m. and they conclude the season at home against Hamilton on February 11.   Last week, the equally dominating PaliHi JV team beat Hamilton 3-0 and Westchester 13-0.