By Kaiya Suehiro | Staff Writer

   Gabrielino went up against Marshall Fundamental Secondary School for a second time last Thursday. The game decided who won league.

   Marshall won, 3-1, puting GHS second in league. 

   The team was scheduled to play at home against Temple City High School on Jan. 17, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 safety concerns. 

   “[The biggest challenge is], by far, having girls miss games and practices because of quarantining,” Coach Rafa Moran stated. “Canceling games, rescheduling. It’s been hard to get into a training and playing rhythm.” 

   On Jan. 13, the team secured a victory against El Monte in an away game, 6-0. 

   The varsity team’s goal throughout the season was to win league and enter the playoffs to compete for a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) title. They still have the chance to win CIF. 

   The Gabrielino girls varsity soccer team has won the CIF Southern Section championship twice previously. Their first win was in 2014 and the most recent one was in 2020, and this year could be their third. 

   Gabrielino won a game against Mountain View High School, 7-0. They played at home on Jan. 11. 

   Senior Haley Mo’okini is looking forward to the rest of the season.

   Mo’okini stated, “Individually, my goal is to score more than I did in the previous years and be selected for the first team all league.”

   On Jan. 7, Gabrielino defeated South El Monte in a home game, 4-0. 

   The varsity team usually has around 18 to 20 players, but this year they are down to 15. Several players were also injured, which left them with approximately twelve players and one substitute. 

   To prevent injuries and COVID-19 cases, the team did not schedule many preseason games. This meant that they only played two games as a team before playing in league. 

   The team went up against Rosemead High School on Jan. 3 during a home game. Gabrielino won by a significant amount, 12-0. 

   “My favorite memory was the game we played against Rosemead. We were down a bunch of players and there were just a few of us and we got to switch around different positions,” stated Sofia Chavez, senior.  

   “Everyone was scoring and people who normally play defense were up there being center forwards. We were all dancing and having fun,” said Chavez. 

   Just before this successful win, the Eagles lost an away game against Marshall on Dec. 16, 0-2. Despite the loss, they stayed positive. 

   “The team is starting to play better because we have more games under our belt,” stated Coach Moran. 

   The Eagles won against Westridge, 3-1. They played at home on Dec. 14. 

   On Nov. 30, the team played at home against Montebello. Gabrielino won the game, 6-0.