Pali High Soccer Squads Blank University

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

After netting 17 goals two days earlier at Westchester, the Palisades High girls soccer team looked like it might better that total with two goals in the first minute of last Friday’s home game against University. Except for one small detail: the Wildcats had fielded their JV, not their varsity team. When the coach realized his mistake and notified the referees, the scoreboard was re-set to zero, halves were shortened and Palisades had to start all over.

This time, it took a little longer to bulge the twine, but senior defender Lily Gruber did the honors with a perfectly-placed shot to the far post inches under the crossbar to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.

“I got a pass back and thought  I could curve it in from the side,” Gruber said. “I love that [Coach Christian Chambers] trusts me to take corners and throw-ins.”

Mona Abai made it 2-0 two minutes later and in the second half Ava Kerkorian converted a penalty kick and Kayden Graves closed out the 4-0 win with a goal in the 50th minute. The Dolphins improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the Western League.

Meanwhile, Palisades’ boys team rebounded from a 1-0 loss to Westchester with a 3-0 victory at University. Kyle Roberts, Taylor Strijdveen and Mika Moreira scored the goals. “We needed that one,” Coach Marvin Lemus said.